Time to Pounce
by Dragonling743
Summary: When a young shifter finds herself in a brave new world of possibilities, she retreats to familiar ground. Her hometown of Forks Washington. There with her sisters she finds some old faces, and some new ones. Bella/Alice, Victoria/Esme
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Charlie Swan sighed, sitting on the corner of his daughter's bed. The doctor had told him that the only way to help was to keep her cool, and pray, so that's what the worried father did. He took her thin sheet and dipped it in the ice water again before laying it across her shuddering body. She cried out and the chief of police forced himself to ignore it. His little girl was only twelve, barely a woman, but if this fever didn't break soon, she wouldn't survive the night.

Isabella flailed again, caught in a fitful sleep, her body exhausted from the battle against the heat. She had been warming up over the last week and it wasn't until she gave her father a scorching hug that he'd become worried. It turned out that she had been suffering from a 110 degree fever, and the doctor hadn't told Charlie, but it was getting worse. she wasn't going to survive the night.

Six hours after dusk fell, Charlie went downstairs to refill the ice water tub. He was so focused on his task that it took him a few moments to register the crash of shattering glass and rush up the stairs. Water spilled across the kitchen floor as the Chief of police threw himself up the stairs. "Isabella!" He stumbled into his daughter's room, his foot catching on the door frame. He slammed to the floor and looked up to see that her window was smashed, and her bed was empty, clothes and bedding shredded, and her room trashed by something big. Charlie shoved himself to his feet, racing to the window and only barely stopped himself from flying out, "ISABELLA!"

"Wake up Jezebel!" A sharp stick rapped against the metal bars encasing the beautiful bronze puma. "It's time to earn your meals." The man snapped, rapping the bars. The beast stretched luxuriously, ignoring the blatant threat in his words. James Seacourt however, is not a man to be messed with, and when the great animal didn't leave the cage and follow the path to the training area, he jabbed the cat's massive flank. "Move!" He snapped.

The cat lunged away faster than should be possible and hissed at him, ears tucked back on the massive head. James gestured with his stick, and the cat huffed, lifting its head proudly and stalking through the path like she was bored, not goaded. That attitude had earned her the name of Jezebel, the saucy temptress of the Bible. At first James had been leery about picking up an animal so common as a cougar for his animal act, but after seeing her perform, he'd made a deal.

He scratched his chin as he followed the massive beast. The first thing that always stood out about Jezebel was her sheer mass, she was over four feet at the shoulder, and nearly four meters long from shoulder to tail. At that size, she was as big as your average tiger, and he paid for it. In fact, with a little added ruff, and some painted on stripes, she was a pretty good substitute. Once you got past her size, she was extremely intelligent, seemingly bored by the tricks that would have most cats confused, or at least frightened. More than once James had wondered if the beast was able to open the doors on her cage. When those days came around, he made sure to beat her a little harder, tire her out more.

The beast earned him a pretty penny. It was actually the fact that she was a common beast that had the crowds rushing in. Everyone had seen trained lions, tigers, and bears, but a Puma leaping through flaming rings, climbing ladders, and even putting her massive teeth around the skulls of his performers had the bloody idiots eating from the palm of his hand. In fact, as soon as he entered the tent, he saw Jezebel 'playing'. She would climb up the ladder to the trapeze and sit up there watching them all move about, her tail twitching. James imagined it was the closest thing to a tree she had gotten in the last few years.

"Get your ass down here Jezebel!" He snapped, cracking his whip against the floor. The cat yawned, then made a sound that felt like a child mimicking a bossy parent as she stood up. "Now." He glared up at her. The cat looked over the edge, and then took a careful leap, landing in the catch net without any trouble. From there she hopped off and walked over to James. She sat in front of him, her tail twitching back and forth like she was waiting for something.

James growled, not liking the way she watched him like a piece of meat, the bored look in her eyes made him think of a cat playing with a mouse. "Up." He cracked the whip. She mouthed off again, but she jumped up and clapped her paws a good twenty feet in the air. He ran the cat through the routine, warming her up before the first show of the night started. The other performers watched while they practiced their own acts. He knew the creature evoked the same feeling of awe from the other performers. She had been in his little circus longer than nearly anyone else, almost ten years, and she still pranced around like a spring chicken with no signs of slowing. It was unnerving.

Jezebel performed her act flawlessly, and as soon as she was done, she sauntered away and sat down to clean the dirt off her paws, still watching him with that predatory intensity. He knew that she was just waiting for the chance to get him, he didn't know what she was waiting for, but he would be ready. James Seacourt is no pushover, and no overgrown housecat is going to outsmart him.

Twenty-five years. It took James nearly twenty-five years to break that damn cat, and good god did he break her. He smirked as he approached her cage and immediately she was standing and alert, aware that he was not afraid to use his prod on her. As soon as the gate was open, she trotted out, head down, her brown eyes dead like they were supposed to be. He'd done away with all the gates and passages a while back, it was too much hassle, and now with Jezebel as docile as a kitten he didn't worry about escapes or attacks. She kept a close eye on him, watching for any cues he would give her at a moment's notice, testing the intelligent beast's intentions.

He led her into the circle, again it was free of bars. Some of the newer members had been leery of working with such a large creature without any protection, but after seeing the perfect obedience that James' presence garnered, they stopped worrying. Some of the older crew seemed a little saddened by the change, missing the playful nature of the beast that had drawn them in, but as James had influenced Jezebel, he had also tamed his people into following his every word.

People flooded in from every corner to see the great Jezebel in action, she was a stunning creature of grace and speed, and seeing her walk among the crowds without any restraints was both thrilling and terrifying. Half the county was in attendance, and Jezebel performed wonderfully, roaring at all the right times, jumping, leaping, standing on her back legs, she was the perfect little trained monkey for James, but tonight was different. She could feel it in the air, smell it in the breeze.

A woman sat in the very front row, watching the bronze cat perform her routine, but instead of seeing the amazing feats, she saw the dead lifeless eyes of a broken creature, and she saw Jezebel's fear of the older man running the circus. As soon as the show was over, she walked over to join the line of people who went to pet the exhausted cat, and feed her kibble provided by the circus workers. The woman waited in line patiently until it was her turn, and she cupped the cat under the jaw and scratched gently, causing the animal to purr loudly, something most of the workers had never heard before. "I am Kira." She murmured, "And I will see you soon."

Kira walked away, and Jezebel flopped on her stomach, too tired to bother sitting up again. James glared at her and cracked his whip threateningly, but for the first time in almost a decade, she ignore him, watching the tall amazonian woman with the dark hair and almond shaped eyes walk away with a regality that she had never seen in a human before. Jezebel gave a small wave of her tail, watching the woman go. She let herself hope that the human would come back.

That night James beat her harshly for her disobedience. His leather whip left deep wounds across her flanks and back. She ached on every side, but she couldn't bring herself to lash out at him. He didn't even restrain her, she could have left at any moment, she knew she could, but where would she go? At least with James, she knew what to expect. He locked her in her cage, bleeding freely, and left to go celebrate the money he'd made off of Jezebel's pain.

She flopped on her side, too tired to pace the edges of the cage, and waited for the wounds to knit themselves closed again. By morning she knew that they would all be gone, yet another perk of being an aberration. Jezebel dozed, awaiting the morning, but a flash of white caught her peripherals. The great cat sat up again, watching for the sight, and was surprised to see what looked to be an enormous beast, larger than herself approaching her cage.

A tiger, so brilliant a white it seemed to glow, strode over fearlessly, and Jezebel felt something push at her mind. Words. "My name is Kira."

Jezebel skidded back, her hair raised on end, her tail up, trying to hide her terror from the talking tiger. How the heck did she do that? Jezebel panicked, her back arching as she tried to shove more of herself into the corner, pressing back into the thick metal bars.

"The same way you spoke to me little one." Her eyes were calm, but her… mental voice? Sounded amused. She reached over with a massive paw nearly the size of Jezebel's head and struck the heavy padlock, her claws slicing through it like razors through butter. Sparks flew, lighting the Tiger's face, and Jezebel realized she had the same piercing blue eyes as the woman from before.

"Why are you here?" The Puma asked tentatively, unsure how to project her voice to this Kira. She hadn't even registered that her cage was open, never considered leaving the familiarity of her prison.

Kira pushed the gate open with her nose, "I came to free you little one, before you forget who you truly are." When Jezebel didn't move, Kira chuffed at her and tossed her head, "Come with me little one. I won't harm you."

Jezebel took a few tentative steps forward, her fur puffed out like a scared kit. "Where will we go?" Her ears twitched wildly, searching for any sign that James was coming back, her tail whipping back and forth from anxiety.

"I will take you anywhere you wish to go little one." Kira nuzzled the smaller cat as soon as her head was out of the cage, providing the support that the kitten needed so greatly. Jezebel launched herself out of the cage, rubbing her cheek and side desperately against the massive tiger, purring loudly as she covered herself in Kira's scent. Kira chuffed again, sounding like she was laughing, and licked Jezebel's head, "Come with me, I shall get you washed and fed kitten."

Jezebel followed her eagerly into the woods, doing anything and everything the tiger commanded. It wasn't until she was clean and had eaten to bursting that she realized that the tiger was a good twelve feet long from nose to rump, with an extra four feet of fluffy tail, and nearly five feet tall at the shoulder. "How are you so huge?!" Jezebel exclaimed as soon as she realized it.

Kira sounded highly amused when she informed the kitten, "I am no normal animal, like yourself, I am also human. Don't you remember when I came to visit you earlier?" She stretched and rose up on her hind legs, dwarfing the cougar for only a few minutes before she became a woman again. A six foot tall, pale skinned woman wearing nothing but two tight black things around her chest and waist. Jezebel knew they had a name but she couldn't remember.

The puma jumped back, and snarled her surprise, fluffing up in fear again. "How is that possible?" She exclaimed, not even sure if Kira could still hear her.

Kira crouched down, "It's okay little one, I won't hurt you." She said it again, and it had a calming effect on Jezebel, "Do you know how to change back."

The puma stood frozen except for her tail. Kira smiled, "Remember being human little one, how it felt to walk on two legs, to eat and play. Remember your face in the mirror, talking and laughing with your family. Remember, and you will change back." She waited patiently as the puma remained still until she shrank into a human again. "There you are my little one." Kira smiled.

Isabella trembled in fear. She didn't remember this body, it was too big, and awkward. She was just a little girl.. Wasn't she? "How long?" She croaked, her voice a rough, husky sound, nothing like the nearly musical quality of Kira's smooth voice.

"The year is 1995 little one." Isabella stared in shock, tears streaming down her cheeks, collecting and gathering around the scars on her face. Scars that had healed long ago, but remained stitched into her soul. Kira walked over, and scooped the girl into her arms, hugging her silently. "Do you know how old you are kitten?" She asked softly.

Isabella clung to her, shaking, "I am forty-nine years old." She rasped. It took her hours to calm down the child, and hours more for her to remember her own name, how to walk on two legs... Kira was endlessly patient through it, silently offering her support to Isabella every step of the way. Pushing for more, reminding the child of what she used to be, it took some time, but Isabella slowly woke up from the haze she had been hidden in while she was confined.

Eventually Kira reminded her about clothes, and Isabella blushed, realizing that she had been curled up, naked in another woman's arms for hours. Kira explained that it was a natural thing, and that she shouldn't be ashamed of her body, but Isabella was deaf to it. As soon as Kira had said clothes, Isabella had turned bright red and refused to leave the bush she sought refuge in until Kira handed her a shirt and a pair of shorts that were both huge on the girl, but better than nothing.

Isabella walked out of the bush, head hung low as she waited for chastisement. Kira chuckled at her, her rich voice even more lovely when wrapped around her quiet, understated laugh. "We will have to buy you clothes little one. Come." Kira took the surprised girl's hand, and walked into town.

They spent nearly three hours in the shoe store trying to find something that Isabella would put on without coercion, and as soon as that was done, Kira dragged her into a clothing store, causing the girl to whimper. "I don't like this."

"You're the one who decided she had to be clothed, remember little one?" She teased, amused by the child's reluctance. "Let's find out what size you are before we go overboard." She grabbed a shirt in three sizes, and the same for a pair of shorts and took Isabella to the changing rooms. "Go in, try them on, and whichever one feels most comfortable, tell me the numbers on the tag." She instructed before sending the girl into the stall.

Isabella stripped slowly, still struggling with buttons and zippers and the laces on her shoes. She didn't love the constricting nature of her clothes, but being naked was no option, what would her daddy think? She stripped down and gasped at the state of her body in the mirror. Smooth pale skin was replaced by pink ropy scars criss-crossing her legs and shoulders. Twisting, she could see more across her back, thinner ones only as wide as her pinky. The ones on her thighs were as big around as nickels.

Her face was somewhat familiar, all the roundness replaced by thin cheeks resting on rounded, heart shaped cheekbones. Her chin would have been petite but the razor thin scar that traveled up to cut through her left eyebrow made it seem sharp to the extreme. She looked down at her hands, and realized that there were thinner white scars travelling up her forearms. Then she realized what was underneath those scars. Heavily packed muscle, smooth until she moved, or breathed and all of a sudden, deep lines of definition cut along her biceps and stomach. She was sure that if she could flex long enough she could actually use her stomach as a washboard for her clothing.

"Isabella?" The quiet voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Almost done." She rasped, and got to work trying on the clothes. After they decided on her size, they spent another hour on a small wardrobe, and a backpack to hold it all. By the time they were out, Isabella truly believed that the years had passed, nothing was the same, the clothing, the people. No one behaved like she thought, some tried to make her sign things, or stopped to hand her flyers. They thought she was adult, and Isabella realized that she was, but she wasn't ready for it. She was terrified, and walking on the streets was even worse. She clung to Kira's arm as they walked, and Kira picked up the pace, taking them out of the city as fast as any human could go.

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Chapter 1

 **A/N: So the support I have gotten from you guys is overwhelming. I haven't had this much enthusiasm for a story in so long, and it feels great. Hopefully this story won't disappoint too much. I'm reading your ideas, and doing my best to take them into account considering how much has already been written. In particular I want to thank YellowDino for encouraging me to continue the one-shot this is based on, and Valfreya for reminding me why I love doing this so much. Enjoy.**

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The next four months were filled with traveling, letting Isabella see the United States and everything that had changed, while letting her remain a child for the most part. They walked all up and down the east coast, searching for wonders that she hadn't yet experienced. All too soon Isabella was comfortable with Kira, smiling and joking like the kitten she had been dubbed. She didn't handle crowds well though. She never talked about it, but Kira knew it was the memories of being forced to play the beast. Kira taught Isabella more about being a shifter, absorbing everything the older woman had to teach her, mastering her abilities until she could shift with clothing on, and return with at least the skin-tight articles intact.

The two of them made quite a sight, the gorgeous bronze color of Isabella's pelt reflected the sun brilliantly, while Kira's coat had a creamy glow to it, it was enough to entrance anyone who saw them. Both of them meandered through the appalachian mountains, enjoying the sunny morning together. The marginally smaller cougar had picked this moment to nip at Kira's tail playfully, skipping away gleefully as Kira snapped lazily, amused by her kitten. "Is that all you've got little one?" She teased, waving her tail lower, teasing Isabella out of hiding.

Isabella leapt from a low branch, her paws splayed wide to catch the fluffy toy waving in front of her. Kira whipped it away just seconds before Isabella caught it, chuffing at the kitten. "Missed me." Isabella growled playfully, lunging after it again while Kira watched her flounder, her wild movements sinking Isabela deeper into the pristine snow until she was stuck chest deep, grumbling to herself.

Kira sauntered over, looking into the deep hole isabella had dug for herself, and chuffed again, watching the kitten flounder, pawing at the loose powder to try and pack it down so she could get up. Finally, she looked up at the tiger and asked, "Will you please help me?"

Kira smirked, and leaned down, biting the nerve on the back of Isabella's neck that naturally paralysed her, and drew her arms and legs up like the kitten she had been dubbed. Kira lifted her up and dropped her gently where the snow was shallower, and licked her cheek. "Silly kitten, you should know better than to play in snow drifts."

Isabella crawled under Kira's belly and stood, rubbing herself against her friend purring loudly, "But it's so much fun." She smacked Kira's face with her tail, giggling internally at the low grumbling Kira started up.

"Not that this isn't adorable, but this is my territory." An unfamiliar voice filled their minds. Kira snarled, and Isabella retreated under Kira's stomach, crouched down in the snow, her fur puffed up in fear.

"Show yourself." Kira demanded, her normally placid voice sharp, nearly painful to Isabella's mind.

Before them a jaguar nearly the size of Kira leapt down from a tree, landing lightly on top of the snow. Her teeth were bared and her ears back in an obvious challenge, "You dare command me on MY land?" She snarled, her fur puffing up but not in fear. Her rage was palpable in their minds, and her tail was frozen in place, indicating that she was ready to pounce at any moment. She was a gorgeous creature, exuding that same glow of health that Kira and Isabella did, but with the added look of a truly wild animal, powerful and capable, she held the confidence of an experienced huntress.

The shock yanked a mew of surprise from Isabella, and the wild cat almost leapt, but instead she bared her teeth and approached. She dared Kira to stop her, her eyes glued on the kitten between the tiger's paws. "You should really train your kitten." Kira snarled, and the jaguar ignored it, circling them. Kira didn't turn, but moved her head to keep an eye on the circling cat. "She's a liability down there, tripping you up." The jaguar lunged suddenly and nipped Isabella's flank, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise.

"We have done nothing, let us leave you in peace." Kira demanded in that same, nearly painful voice.

"You think to command me child?" The jaguar lunged for Kira this time, and Isabella skittered away as fast as she could, not wanting to be the liability that the stranger had named her. Kira caught the other cat with a swipe to her face that left bloody stripes. The jaguar roared and ducked under Kira's massive legs, catching her in a powerful hug from below, her rear claws digging into Kira's stomach, and her teeth latched around Kira's throat, intent on ripping it out.

Kira reared up on her back legs, trying to beat the jaguar off of her, but the position was awkward, and her arms didn't necessarily bend that way. It was to both their surprises when a blur of bronze slammed into the jaguar's side, ripping her off of the tiger with a fierce snarl. "Get off of her!" Isabella clawed wildly at the jaguar's face, only to get her stomach kicked out by two powerful legs. She flew back into a tree with a crunch, and the jaguar launched herself at the kitten.

Before she could reach the annoying cougar, the jaguar found herself with a pair of teeth around her jugular, and a heavy paw braced on her chest. "Submit." She heard the powerful voice of the tiger and calmed herself, panting heavy fog-laden breaths into the cold air.

"Impressive. I have not been bested in a long time." She commented, flopped on her back in a submissive pose. "My name is Victoria."

"I am Kira. This is my kitten Isabella." The tiger released Victoria's throat and backed up, staying between the jaguar and her little one.

"Pleasure." Isabella nodded, seemingly exhausted by the excitement of her outburst.

Victoria rolled onto her stomach but remained lying down. Her heart was thrumming from the activity, and a part of her was eager for more, but she did not want to push the massive tiger into doing something Victoria would regret. "Any particular reason you ignored my markers? I have this area well defined." She seemed far less angry than Isabella expected.

Kira settled down beside her kitten, giving Victoria space as she licked her claws clean, "We noticed the markers, but we couldn't identify the animal. We assumed that it was a wolverine or a bear or something. We've been traveling for a few months now, getting the kitten acquainted with human life, and we never ran into another shifter." Isabella curled herself around Kira, trying to settle her pounding heart as she watched the Jaguar curiously.

Victoria yawned, "I suppose. There aren't many of us left anymore." She glanced at the anxiously whipping tail of the kitten and chuffed, "I won't bite kitten."

Isabella looked up to Kira who seemed to be ignoring them in favor of cleaning her paws of the blood from Victoria's already healed wounds, deciding that Kira would protect her, Isabella decided to check out the newcomer. Creeping forward, a low rumble poured from Isabella's throat, instinctively purring to let the other cat know that she was friendly. Victoria watch in amusement as the enormous beast crept forward so cautiously, and flopped on her side, waiting. It took a good ten minutes for Isabella to finally make it over, and when she did, the jaguar pounced.

She wrapped short, powerful arms around Isabella's neck and yanked her down into the snow, holding her there as she licked a stripe up Isabella's spine, chuffing in amusement as Isabella tried to squirm out of her hold. "Be still." She commanded, obviously finding this to be the funniest thing she'd seen in a long time. Isabella grumbled, but she stopped squirming, letting Victoria groom her.

"This is weird." The girl informed them, trying not to relax from the soothing feeling. It was like having a bath, and having her fur stroked at the same time. All too soon she was purring, and snuggling back into Victoria's stomach while Kira watched, her tail waving lazily.

That was the beginning of a rather interesting relationship. Victoria took them to her home up higher in the mountains and took care of them like the perfect host. Isabella couldn't help but stare at the woman though. Even as a human, she was stockier, and packed with muscle. She was only an inch taller than Isabella's 5'11", but her wild red hair added at least another three inches on top of that, making her feel as tall as Kira. Seeing the two women stand next to each other was equally disorienting for the girl. Victoria exudes natural power brimming over and waiting to be used, where Kira was tall, willowy, and regal. She kept herself contained beneath a calm facade of majesty.

Victoria traveled with them on and off, claiming that she could only handle our energy for a few months before she needed to recuperate, but the other two knew she was just used to being solitary. Kira would have probably done the same to Isabella if her kitten weren't so helpless in both worlds. By the time she had taught Isabella how to hunt, and walk among humans, she had gotten over her antsy need to escape her company and was content with the companionship of her little one.

Victoria however, took years to wear down. She preferred reading in her cabin, or stalking her territory, protecting it from infidels. Occasionally it caused a small ruckus to see a Jaguar stalking the Appalachians, but finally someone decided she was an escaped zoo animal that took to the mountains and should be left alone. Not that Isabella ever listened to things like that.

Victoria was sitting on her couch, dressed comfortably when she felt a prickling on the back of her neck. She stood immediately, whipping her head around, and scenting the air. There was nothing that she could detect until. She smiled. "I know you're there kitten." The slightest creak behind her was her only warning. She whipped around just in time to catch Isabella leaping into her chest.

"I got'cha." Isabella beamed, snuggling into Victoria.

The older woman chuckled, sitting down on the couch, "If you say so kitten. Now where is your sister?"

"BOO!" Kira grabbed Victoria's sides and the woman jumped, nearly throwing Isabella.

"Kira!" She turned on the laughing tigress and glared as Isabella giggled helplessly.

"You should have seen your face Tori!" Isabella laughed, hugging her sides tightly, "You would have hit the ceiling if I weren't in your lap."

Kira chuckled, sitting on the armchair across from them, "You know I couldn't resist Tori, it was perfection."

Victoria only growl and tossed a pillow at Kira's head, "So what brings you two rapscallions to my door this late in the evening? You planning on dragging me across the East Coast again?"

Isabella beamed, "More like the continent." At Victoria's wide-eyed look, she continued, "I want to go to school, I never made it into high school and I want to learn more. I'm fifty-two years old, and I don't even know Algebra."

"And why does that require me? Or the other side of the continent?" Victoria inquired.

"Well we need you because we need a parent figure, and I want to keep an eye on Isabella." Kira replied, "We both can pass as younger with a little effort, but you just scream… Mom."

The older woman rolled her eyes, "Har har har, I get it, I'm old. So you want to play house. Why across the continent?"

"Because." Isabella huffed, "I want to see where I grew up, but I've already seen the south, and the midwest… and we've spent so much time in the east recently." She nuzzled her face into Tori's shoulder, she didn't like mentioning her past, or what happened with her change, and only Kira knew about her time in the circus. Tori knew she had been trapped in animal form for a long time, and caged, but that was all the older woman dared ask.

Tori stroked her hair, and thought it over for a short while. "Give me some time to get my affairs in order, and I'll join you in Seattle, maybe two weeks from now?" Isabella squealed with joy, and she smiled at the girl, kissing her forehead, "I'll take that as a yes." She glanced up to see even Kira had an uncharacteristic smile.

True to her word, Tori met them in two weeks, and they drove south together in Tori's truck, a rusty red monstrosity of indeterminate age. Kira gave it a thorough inspection, but couldn't find any reason why it wouldn't work, so she and Isabella piled in. Kira gave Victoria a short run-down, "We're headed for Forks Washington. The Swan family moved there when Isabella was a little girl." Tori nodded and started South. "So what is our last name going to be?"

"You're asking me?" Tori asked, "This is your crazy scheme. I'm just here to pay the phone bill."

Isabella looked up shyly, "Well we thought, since my last name is out, and Kira doesn't really remember hers, we could use yours?"

The older woman snorted, and rolled her eyes, "First you call me old, and then you try to take my last name. Humph. Well then, we are the Calleigh's." She shook her head at their ridiculousness, and tuned out their chatter, mostly dominated by their kitten. Victoria was more than just an older woman, she had spent decades, millennia perhaps trying to find that missing piece of herself.

Just by looking it was obvious that Kira was at peace with herself, having found everything she needed to be whole. Isabella on the other hand, was in desperate need of something. She was never alone, she couldn't handle it, and no matter that Victoria knew nothing about her captivity. The only reason why a healthy shifter is confined is by choice, and those scars… The ancient wasn't sure if Kira knew the reasons why some wounds scarred and some didn't.

Among the shifters it was known that as soon as they changed, they no longer healed at a human rate. Scars were thought to be a matter of severity, but Victoria knew better. She had lost fingers, a whole foot once, even her eyes were gouged out by a particularly violent vampire with a grudge to settle, and yet none of them retained scars. However, she did have a few smaller scars on her wrists and thighs where she had done the unthinkable. One or two others along her neck where she had desperately wished that she could be killed. She knew that Isabella's scars were self-inflicted, whether the child accepted it or not, and Victoria could only hope that their kitten would not go through the centuries of loneliness and pain that she herself had endured.

Victoria knew that she had come to terms with her loneliness, and had learned to embrace it with a vigor that most could only dream of. Isabella is too social, and Victoria was concerned that her kitten wouldn't be able to handle missing a piece of herself. Not for very long anyways.

Kira tapped her on the shoulder, and Victoria realized that there were flashing lights in her rearview mirror. "Screw me." She muttered and pulled over quickly, rolling down her window. The glass squealed in protest.

The officer made his way over to her window, he was an older gentleman who would have been pushed to retire years ago if it weren't such a small town. "Ma'am are you aware that your tail light is out?" He asked, his thick handlebar mustache was almost comical on his worn, round face.

"No I wasn't officer." Tori replied, trying to remain neutral. "I had the car shipped to Seattle, it must have happened during the move. I'll get it fixed just as soon as we're settled." It wasn't a big deal.

He nodded, "Then I'll let you off with a warning." He checked the back of the car piled high with boxes, "Are you all gonna be moving into town?" He asked curiously.

Isabella nodded excitedly, "Yeah! We're so excited to get started in school next week."

"School?" He raised his eyebrows, looking over the two in the passenger seat more carefully. It was possible they could be school aged, especially the smaller one. "Well I guess you'll be meeting my grandsons. If you three need any help moving in, or with your furniture, give my son a call, Derek Swan. He and the boys can give you a hand with all the heavy lifting."

Isabella paled, and Kira leaned over her with a small smile, hiding her from the officer, "Thank you so much, we were so worried about that, officer..?"

"Charlie Swan." He smiled, offering Tori a phone number, "Welcome to Forks."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"That was my dad." Isabella whispered, "He's so old." She hugged herself. The other two didn't really know what to do, they had come to terms with their age so long ago, and had been so much more aware of the time passing that it never bothered them. Their kitten on the other hand, wasn't exactly the most lucid while the world was passing her by.

"He seems happy?" Tori offered, reaching over to squeeze Isabella's arm, "I know it's terrible that you didn't get to grow up with him really, but now you know that life has treated him well."

"Yeah…" Isabella nodded. She retreated into herself for the rest of the drive into town, staying in the car while Victoria and Kira took care of all the boxes. It was a quaint little two-story that backed right into the woods. The shingle roof had a nice low slope that looked like it would be nice to relax on, as well as a shaded wraparound porch that sat just a foot below the windows for the second floor. Victoria couldn't help but admire the sheer number of exit points and lounging spaces, she decided to thank Kira once they finished unpacking.

"So you think we should take the sheriff on his offer?" Kira asked Victoria, setting down another box full of cd's. Isabella had been systematically going through every rock band in existence since 1946, and she was still struggling with the internet, so she stuck to her stereo system.

Victoria scratched her chin, looking at the saran wrapped furniture sitting in the entryway, "Well… If we plan on staying here for more than a year or two, it would be for the best. Let everyone see that we're friendly and shit."

Kira nodded, her eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter. "I'll call them up."

Not fifteen minutes later, a tall muscular man with a scruffy chin was knocking on their open door, with two curious teen boys behind him. If Isabella hadn't been so absorbed in her own mind, she would have thought it was her father, Derek Swan is the spitting image of his father. His boys however, take after their mother with dirty blonde hair and softer faces. All three of them were dwarfed by the amazonian woman who opened the door, and the boy's eyes went comically wide, taking in everything.

Curly red hair cascading around her strong jaw and nose, emphasized her slender neck and drew attention to her generous endowments. "I take it you're Derek?" She purred, and the boys melted. "I'm Victoria Calleigh, it's lovely to meet you."

Derek shook her hand, grinning, "It's nice to meet you too ma'am. These are my boys Jeffrey, and Isaac."

Jeffrey was obviously older, his slender frame more muscular, unlike his father's stocky bulk. Isaac was far shorter, maybe only 5'6" and looked like he was barely old enough to get into high school. He was at least polite enough to wave shyly, while Jeffrey just ogled them. "Well come on in. My daughter Kira is in the kitchen getting all the dishes unpacked, and," She paused as Isabella shouted out, " _Don't give them my real name!"_ Victoria flicked her eyes towards the window like she was looking for her errant child and continued, "Isabella is in the truck. She's still a little nervous about the move." Victoria relied smoothly, " _It will be fine kitten, no one will connect you to a fifty year old runaway."_ Kira had to wonder how many times Victoria had done all of this. Neither Kira or Isabella knew much about Victoria's age or her past, they only knew her as a loyal friend, and a fun companion. But her confidence in some areas was a little terrifying.

Derek nodded, "Let's get to work boys. Isaac, you go help Kira with the kitchen, Jeffrey and I can start moving the bigger stuff, if you would be willing to tell us where it all goes?" He asked the redhead.

She opened her mouth to agree, but she was interrupted. "I can do that. I didn't help with any of the boxes, I can at least tell them where stuff goes." Isabella volunteered from the door, deciding that if she couldn't handle three men, then she would never be able to survive school.

Jeff jumped in surprise, "Holy shit, when did you get there?" He exclaimed.

Isabella flinched, and Derek huffed, "Language."

"Sorry." Jeff blurted, "You just scared me."

"It's fine." She mumbled, looking to her concerned looking mother, ' _I promise it is fine.'_ She insisted mentally. "Let's go, we can put the table and couches in first."

It took most of the day to get everything unpacked, but by the end, Victoria was glad Kira had suggested it. Her kitten had two friends to meet up with in school, Derek, as he had insisted, had told her where all the important landmarks were located, and all of their furniture was put away with minimal effort. The men had even offered to stay and help them unpack their boxes, hence Isabella was up in her room with Isaac and Jeff getting all of her cd's sorted alphabetically by album.

The boys were chatting gleefully with her about music, suggesting songs for the quiet girl, and offering to trade for the chance to listen to some of her rather prolific collection. Their animated conversation carried down the stairs to the kitchen where Victoria was cooking up dinner, and Kira was breaking down boxes, and collecting all the trash. "Sounds like they're all getting along." Derek commented, leaning on the counter. "You sure I can't help with dinner?"

Victoria flashed him a grin that was all teeth and would have been mildly terrifying if he didn't already know the woman a little bit. "Of course not, you helped us get everything done today. We're going to have the whole week to get settled before school begins. That's help enough for me. The least I can do is make dinner." She turned back to stir something, and Derek finally paid attention to how much she was making.

He whistled, "You sure? That's a ton of food, I don't think we're all going to eat all of that."

"Nonsense. We're big eaters in this house, high metabolism and all that. By the time the girls are done eating, it'll mostly be gone. If we manage to have leftovers, I'll be astounded." Victoria waved him off, the only way they really could curb their diet was to eat in animal form, and with all the traveling, they hadn't had the chance to go hunting yet.

Derek nodded, watching her cook, noting the grace of her movements, "That makes sense. Are you all into sports or something? I noticed your girls are built just like you, pure muscle."

Victoria laughed, "We're big on hiking, and Kira and I have been trying to convince Isabella that she should try swimming-" She tilted her head, and even Kira paused as Isabella spoke to them, ' _You aren't really going to make me go swimming are you?'_ She pleaded, honestly worried about the water.

"And?" Derek prompted, grinning at the redhead, "You dozing off there?" He joked.

"It takes a lot more than that to tire me out Derek." She winked, making the man blush. "No, I was just thinking that we would have to find some beaches around here. Isabella is a sucker for a good view. Any places you can think of?"

He cleared his throat, rising to the challenge in her voice, "Well of course, my family has been here since the forties. The beach in La Push is a great one, but I've found a few more secluded ones, if you're feeling adventurous."

Kira laughed, the sound drawing everyone's attention. Beyond a few small smiles, she hadn't really altered her serene expression. Even Isabella leaned out of her room to see what was going on. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into Mr. Swan. Mom is not one to step down from a challenge."

Derek looked over at Victoria curiously and realized that there was an excited gleam in her eye. "Oh really?" He grinned, "Well the boys and I are up for a challenge. I have tomorrow off. You want to show us what you've got? We were already planning a visit down to Thomas Point. It's about a two hour hike." He warned playfully.

"Oh you are on." Victoria smirked, nudging him aside to set out the food. "We'll try to take it easy on you so you can keep up." She teased.

Derek laughed and rubbed his hands together, excited to see these ladies in action.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **A/N: Okay, this is almost entirely for my one guest who had a ton of questions, but for anyone else who is peeved by the seeming repetition going on in this story, settle in my duckies, otherwise just skip it.  
Timeline, Isabella shifted around the age of twelve, but as we all know the body ages by quite a few years during the first shift. After that they only age when they stop shifting for long periods of time, so Isabella appears to be about 16-17. She spent about 21 years wandering, trying to figure out how to shift back, after which she was captured, held for an indeterminate period, and then sold off to James. She spent about 25 years with him, which is insanely long for a puma to survive even in captivity. No one questions James because they like their skin intact. Nuff said. She then spent three years with Tori and Kira re-learning all the parts of being human that she reasonably would have forgotten.**

 **If you want to know more, PM me, I'll happily answer all your questions. I hope you don't hate me for this silly A/N my ducks. ALSO tell me what you think because I love this chapter so much.**

* * *

The next day saw them all piled into Derek's SUV. With a mostly retired cop for a father, he couldn't really condone letting all the kids hang out in the trunk of the truck, no matter how Victoria stood up for its safety. The girls were all dressed for the day's exertions, their hair pulled back, tight leggings and comfortable shirts that were big, but still draped nicely. All three of them shared identical looks of amusement when the men stopped to stare. Jeans and plaid is what the boys wore, thinking that a hike would warrant the protection. It had led to some amusing conversations in the car about fitting attire for an outing.

" _What is that god awful smell?"_ Bella asked her mother and sister, wrinkling her nose at the wind blowing in through the windows.

Victoria scoffed, " _Dogs."_ Derek gave her a funny look, "Just thinking handsome." She patted his leg and he forgot his other questions.

Kira's brows pulled together just a millimeter tighter, but for her it was a full on pout. " _They had better not interrupt our hike. The last thing I need is to get mutt under my nails."_

" _What's wrong with the dogs? They don't usually smell this bad."_ Isabella was a little lost, and yet again she cursed her lack of experience.

Kira reached back and patted Isabella's knee, " _They aren't normal dogs kitten. They're shifters like us… Well not like us. They have more rules, stupid ones if you ask me. They're all about territory, and birthrights, and pacts, and all of that mess."_

Victoria frowned out the window, " _It's a load of malarkey is what it is. I'm not signing any contracts those mutts come up with."_

" _Come now Tori, let's be reasonable. They're dogs, not mutts, and for all we know, these ones could be intelligent and well informed."_ Kira chided, covering her nose with her hand as subtly as possible.

Victoria snorted, and Isabella was the first one to talk, "Care to share with the class mom?" She teased.

"Oh I was just thinking that we didn't bring swim gear." She lied, smirking over her shoulder at her daughter.

"That's because I'm not swimming." Isabella asserted, her hand clenched on the seat. The very idea of immersing herself in water that she didn't control completely made her tail twitch.

"Like that's ever stopped us before." Kira teased, "It'll be fine Bella."

Isaac beamed, happy to have someone to talk to, "Yeah me and Jeff have a contest every year to see who can get the furthest and there are some really cool islands that you can swim to and climb the rocks. It's so much fun." Isabella wasn't going to admit that his offer was already setting her at ease, but both Kira and Victoria could feel it through their mental link.

" _Someone has a crush."_

After everyone was done laughing at Isabella's sudden outburst at her sister, things settled into a comfortable silence that lasted just long enough for Derek to pull up to the trailhead. The girls got out and from the scent trails, they could tell that while Derek wasn't the only one to hike this trail, he was definitely the only human. Even better, no one had been on the trail within the last few days, so that nasty smell like a wet dog rolled in fresh mulch and vinegar was severely faded.

"Oh thank god I'm out of that car." Isabella exclaimed, stretching as soon as she got out of the car. "To-Mom you think I can run ahead with the boys? I'm ready to explode."

Victoria looked over at the girl and realized that there was a tiny tremor in her hands. "Very well Isabella, just stay in sight of the boys, we wouldn't want you getting lost." She smiled as her kitten ran off with the boys. " _Be careful kitten."_

"Yes mom!" She shouted back, her amusement and minor annoyance carrying through their link. She was an independant little child, despite her relative lack of knowledge.

Kira did some stretching of her own once she was out, but it was the luxurious stretch of a woman with centuries to spare. She was determined to release every kink before she stepped foot into that dog infested forest, no matter how lovely it all was. When she was finally aware of the world, she realized that Derek and Victoria were watching her in amusement. "Are you done yet?" Tori teased.

"Almost." Kira smirked and bent backwards until she was holding her ankles easily.

Victoria rolled her eyes at the child's antics and tugged Derek, "Come on. She'll catch up when she's done."

Derek followed with minor protest, and they started their hike. Eventually they caught up to the winded boys, and an exhilarated Isabella. They chuckled at the boys' expense, and watched Isabella skip all over the place, probably doubling the distance they walked from all the laps she did, going forward and coming back. Even Victoria was getting tired from watching the girl's antics when she felt Kira send her a warning. " _Watch our kitten. The dogs are demanding a meeting with me."_ Victoria bit back a snarl and did her best to distract everyone from Kira's absence.

Kira was caught only a mile out from the car, four tall native american boys reeking of dog appeared from the brush. They were dressed only in slacks, their hair abnormally short. "Hello boys." She didn't allow them to see her disapproval for ambushing her alone like jackals, nor did she show her amusement at their attempt to intimidate her. "Did you want something."

"This is our land." The second tallest snapped, his arms shaking violently, his nose wrinkled. "You shouldn't be here." He looked her up and down like he was trying to decide what to call her.

"Well it's not like I could tell the humans who brought us here to turn around when we smelled you." She replied. Her calm was getting to them, bothering them as they shook violently, trying to contain their beasts.

"That's your problem. You need to leave." He growled, his voice taking the sharp quality of an alpha.

Kira narrowed her eyes, "Oh you did not just try to command me. You disgusting mutt."

"Mutt?" The smallest yelped in surprise, "Aren't you a werewolf too?"

The tigress let out a low hiss and all four boys took a step back. "Rude and ignorant. You don't know anything about your heritage at all." She shook her head slowly, "If I were you, I would go home. We will leave your land alone, and you can stay the hell away from Forks. Deal?" She didn't want anything to do with such uncultured animals, especially ones without any control. The last thing she needed was her kitten picking up bad habits from a pack of puppies.

The Alpha stepped forward again, "You don't get to order us around outsider. I am Sam Uley, and you will submit to me while you are here." Every word was weighted with his impotent power, adding insult to injury, and cementing himself in Kira's bad book.

Kira didn't even bother with her shirt, she shifted, her body stretching out and growing in bulk until she landed on all fours, nose to nose with the man-child. " _I am Kira Takenaka, and I submit to no one."_

"Holy shit! Did you guys hear that too?" The smallest exclaimed again.

"Shut up Seth." Sam snapped, ignoring the pain his pack-mate was in from the command. He shifted too, alongside his three brothers, and the big black wolf that was Sam had to back up a step so that he had space to stand. Kira chuffed at his frustration for needing to give even that much of a concession to her. The other three wolves were a giant russet who was bigger than Sam, Seth turned into a tawny wolf with garishly big paws, and the third one was a mid-sized grey wolf. All of them were about twice the size of the average wolf, but none of them could stand up to Kira's magnificence.

" _Why do I feel like we just lost?"_ Seth asked his brothers, openly broadcasting his thoughts as he pawed at the invisible muzzle his alpha placed on him.

" _Because you did little pup. By shifting, you proved that you are afraid, and by trying to corner me alone, you only made it worse. Congratulations on having a sense of honor. It's rare among wolves."_ Kira informed him, amused by the little power struggle that this Sam was trying to initiate. " _That phrase, dog eat dog world? That came from the ruthlessness of wolves, and their lack of honor even among their own kind."_ She couldn't keep her contempt hidden, and it laced every word with disgust.

Sam snarled alongside his beta, the grey wolf. " _Shut up, and stay out of our heads."_

Kira chuffed, her laughter filling their minds, " _You really have no idea how loud your minds are. You are shouting all your thoughts at me to the point that it's hard to ignore."_ She sat back on her haunches and watched them, her tail waving.

" _Sam calm down."_ This voice made an attempt to be quieter, and as it wasn't familiar, Kira assumed it was the Russet wolf, " _They're just passing through, and they aren't dangerous. Let it go."_ She started cleaning her claws, listening to the intelligent one. Seth was merely a pup so his ignorance was to be expected, but this Sam should have at least had some decorum.

" _No, she's invading our territory."_ He snarled, inching closer to the tiger, his hackles sticking straight up. " _You don't belong here."_

" _Oh contraire, my darling puppies. I belong everywhere I want to be."_ Kira looked over the Alpha that barely made it to her shoulder when she's sitting, and decided that he wasn't worth her time. " _We'll be out of your territory after our hike is over. Until then, I suggest you try practicing some control."_ She got up and started walking down the path, shifting mid-step, all her clothes but her shirt still intact. She heard a small chorus of exclamations, but she ignored it.

The Alpha snarled, " _Don't turn your back on me!"_ She waited, knowing it was coming. He charged at her back.

Kira waited until she could feel his hot breath on her spine before she did a quick flip, wrapping her legs around Sam's big neck as his momentum pushed him forward. She braced her hands on the ground and used the extra push to flip him on his back with her sitting on his neck. "Play dead." She patted his cheek as he wheezed, trying to get his lungs to function.

Looking up, she saw that the other three were staring in shock. She winked and got up again, walking after her sisters. Between the cracked ribs, and the display of power, she was hoping that they would leave them all alone. At least for a day. Kira liked Derek and his boys, it would be a shame if they got caught in the crossfire. " _That was fucking awesome."_ Seth informed his brothers.

" _Crisis averted."_ Kira told Victoria, going over the events privately. Their kitten didn't need to know that there had been a conflict. She worried about the move too much already.

"Well look who decided to join us." Victoria teased Kira, who met up with them a few minutes after they hit the beach, "What did you do, take a nap on the way?"

Kira stuck her tongue out and ran into the water, splashing the boys and Isabella with the freezing liquid. Derek chuckled, "Do they ever run out of energy?"

"Oh Kira does sometimes, she gets lethargic when the sun is out, but otherwise, she's as boundless as Isabella." Victoria smiled, happy to meander with Derek. He's a nice man, funny and sweet. Thinking about others and what they need. "How about you? I'm sure all this hiking is tiring for your wife."

He shook his head, "Nah, she loved it. That's what got the boys started. We would come on picnics out here all the time together." Victoria took his hand silently and squeezed it gently. She knew the pain of loss better than most. Derek smiled, "It's been a few years since she died, we've all come to terms with it. Of course my dad probably thought he was gonna set us up together." He chuckled, shaking his head.

Victoria laughed, "Does he do that kind of thing often?" She bumped his shoulder playfully. "Set you up with strange women?" Victoria could only hope it wouldn't become a habit, her kitten was an energetic girl, but they were lucky she had taken to the boys the way she did. She could only hope that being among the boys and having friends would ease her transition into modern life.

Derek blushed and mumbled something about it happening more than he liked. Jeffrey smirked at them, and elbowed Isabella, "How long do you think it'll be before they start dating?" He teased.

Isabella giggled, "Not a chance. I like your dad, but he can't handle mom." She was comfortable with her nephews, she had worried about things being too different, but the boys seemed to take her quirks in stride. Kira indicated that her beauty helped ease their doubts, she said it was hard to ostracize a beautiful woman. Isabella wasn't sure she loved that, but until she was more comfortable in her own skin, it would have to do.

Her new friend rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, sure. I bet you twenty bucks that they're dating by the end of the month."

"Easy money." She teased, tackling him into the water as just revenge for earlier dunkings, "My mom is going to eat him alive."

Jeff caught himself barely, and hooked his arms under her legs, "I've got you now! Come on Isaac! We're going for a swim!" He ran deeper into the water and Isabella shrieked in surprise. Kira looked over sharply, but Isabella was grinning from ear to ear, with only the slightest trace of anxiety flowing through their bond. Kira laughed and ran after them, diving into the freezing water after them.

The whole day was spent like that, walking the beach, swimming, laughing. By noon Isabella was swimming on her own with confidence. They didn't see any hint of the shifters, and were able to relax and just enjoy themselves. The boys tired first, but as soon as they started a ring for a fire pit, Kira and Isabella were there to help them gather wood. They sat around the fire, watching the multi-colored flames and the setting sun. The pink sky was darkening to navy when Isabella's head finally began to droop, and she snuggled closer to Kira.

Victoria smiled and suggested that they put out the fire and start back to the car. By the end of the hike, Isabella was stumbling along, all of her weight resting on Kira's arm around her waist, and even Tori's energy was beginning to flag. "Thank you so much for bringing us along Derek, this was fun." Victoria leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He blushed, "Y-you're welcome. Any time you girls are feeling up to an adventure, just give us a call."

"Oh she will." Kira teased, earning herself a glare from her mother. Isabella smiled, amused by their antics. They all packed into the car, and Isabella was asleep on Isaac just as soon as she finished buckling in.

The rest of the week went like that, sans the wolves. Victoria made it a point to tell Derek that she wanted to see things outside the reservation. Visiting with the Swans, Isabella laughing and playing with her nephews while Victoria flirted with Derek, and Kira watched it all with quiet amusement. Sunday night the boys said their goodbyes paired with promises to save seats at lunch, and to look for them in class.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

If there is a way to take anxiety and then multiply it by discomfort, then that would be Isabella Calleigh's emotional state right now. She walked into her first class and drew heavily in Kira's natural calm to get her through her introduction with minimal stuttering. Her desk was located at the back of the room, flanked on either side by boys pouring enough pheromones into the air that she wanted to gag.

Excitement had quickly been replaced by worry just as soon as she heard all the complaints of her classmates about their homework. She knew she would be learning, and she would have to take things home, that had been the same at her old school, but looking at her textbooks reminded her that she was jumping ahead from 6th grade to 9th, and hadn't been to school for nearly forty years. Taking careful notes was a must, but it was difficult with all the whispering and note passing around her.

Being completely aware of everything was something that Isabella thought she would be accustomed to, because she had been a shifter for so long, but she was beginning to realize that she was missing a lot of the focus and control that her sisters had. " _Is it always this bad?"_ She asked Kira, opening herself to the communication, " _Because this is hell."_

Kira's amusement traveled along their connection, putting a small smile on Isabella's face, " _Of course kitten. Children will be children. Try focusing on just the teacher's voice to the point of distraction, let everything else fade away. I'll keep an eye on you."_ Isabella blushed and ducked her head, feeling like a ridiculous child for needing reassurance, but she did as she was told. With nothing but the teacher's voice in her ears, the time passed quickly. A tap on her shoulder announced that it was time to change rooms. Isabella jumped in surprise. "Why would you do that?" She snapped, her heart pounding in her ears.

Pheromone boy winced, "Sorry, I was just gonna ask if you're okay. The bell rang a few minutes ago and you're all zoned out." He paused, waiting for Isabella to say anything, but she didn't, she glared. "Uhh, I'm Mike Newton?"

She clenched her jaw, wishing he would take a hint, and took a headache inducing breath before replying. "Isabella." She packed her bag and brushed past him, taking deep breaths outside the room. That boy stank worse than anything she had ever smelled, and that included death. Between his pheromones and the awful reek of his overpowering cologne, it made her want to puke, specifically on him. A snort behind her, and the sweet scent of vanilla reached her ears. Isabella spun in time to see a young man with bronze hair passing her in the hallway, his skin pale and his eyes a beautiful gold. Enemy. Her mind slammed shut instinctively, cutting her off from even Kira and Victoria as she leveled a glare at the boy who made her want to shred something. He flinched in passing, and sped up.

"Isabella! Hey what's your next class? I can walk you to it." Pheromone boy interrupted her low growling, but it also reminded her where she was.

She opened her mouth, but Kira interrupted her, appearing out of nowhere, "I've got her. Thanks Michael." Kira hooked her arm in with Isabella's and tugged her away. "What happened."

Isabella shook her head and leaned in close, her lips brushing her sister's ear as she tried to remain undetected, "I don't know, but as soon as I saw him, I knew he was an enemy." She still trembled a little, and the shaking increased when Kira's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"I was wondering when you would notice the vampires." She murmured, "They're fun to play with, relax just a little bit so I can still keep an eye on you kitten. This is just another part of civilization little one."

Isabella squeezed Kira's arm tightly, "Are you sure he won't hurt us?"

Kira kissed her head, "Of course not kitten. I would never endanger you. Tori is just at the store, she can be here in a minute flat if something goes wrong, and I'm here, don't forget."

Isabella nodded, "Okay." She took a calming breath, smelling that same sweet scent, but this one was laced with cedar and something fruity. She groaned, of course it would be her luck that there was not only more than one of these strange beasts, but that she shared second period with one. "Wish me luck." She grumbled. Kira patted her head, " _Just don't shut me out this time kitten."_

The classroom was mostly full already, in fact there was only one chair, and it was right next to a pale brunette girl with hair that looked like it was trying to jump off her head. Her eyes were lovely, mahogany irises strangely accented by the lavender circles under her eyes. A broad smile was on her face, and the smell in the room was heavenly. Isabella found herself relaxing without even thinking about it. Orange Blossom. That something fruity.

"Ahem."

Isabella jumped, "Oh, sorry. Here." She gave her slip to the teacher, blushing furiously and wishing that her skin were darker to hide it.

The teacher raised his eyebrow and passed back the slip. "Take a seat by Ms. Cullen if you please." He gestured to the beautiful… Vampire. Oh shit. Oh shit. Isabella walked towards the… vampire, like she was on autopilot, but her brain and heart were racing. What kind of vampire is it? Like the blood sucking, sex crazed monsters from Van Helsing, or is this some kind of teenaged joke where they're tame and utterly boring? She sat down stiffly next to the vampire. " _Kira! What kind of vampire are we talking about?"_

" _Talk to her and find out. Her hearing is just as good as ours. The humans will never notice."_

" _THAT IS NOT HELPFUL."_ She felt Kira's amusement, and knew that if they had been alone, her sister would be rolling on the floor, dying of laughter. Kira was far too fond of teasing her. It only upset her more, and her hands were shaking, her heart racing and- a hand. A cold hand touched her arm and she whipped her head around to see the vampire looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, stroking Isabella's arm gently, "I promise I don't bite."

Isabella stiffened, "Isn't that your whole shtick?" She hissed, pulling her arm away. Her mind didn't scream enemy like it did with the last one, but she still felt on edge from the encounter.

Ms. Cullen's eyes went wide with shock, "How did you know?"

Isabella fought a sneer, "Isn't it obvious?" Her instincts were screaming that this woman wasn't supposed to exist, not in a bad way, but in a 'this thing isn't normal' way. No heartbeat, an absence of heat, discolored eyes, how could anyone mistake them as human? She could only hope that their teacher wasn't covering anything important, because all her senses were trained on the abomination beside her.

The girl frowned a little, and Isabella immediately felt guilty about it. "We only eat animals."

Isabella went pale at the thought that this girl could mistake her, or her sisters for an animal and eat them. Regardless of the fact that they didn't look normal, and both Kira and Tori didn't belong in Washington, it sent a thrill of panic down the kitten's spine. "That doesn't make me feel any better."

"You would rather I eat humans?" She seemed stunned, staring at the wonderful smelling newcomer in surprise. Alice had never seen someone so upset at the idea that she would eat animals over humans, well someone who wasn't a vampire. She leaned a little closer, trying to pin down what the new girl smelt like, frustrated by the numerous mysteries of this person and her friend. After a few moments Alice decided that the girl smelled like woods, like fresh turned dirt and sunlight mixed with tree sap from freshly broken branches, with a hint of something savory that was simply mouthwatering.

It wouldn't be that hard for Alice to imagine the girl running through the woods, clad in her current outfit of leggings and a baggy shirt. The fabric clinging too tightly to ever really get caught. Her shirt ripped on a branch, but the girl kept going. The color on her leggings wasn't right, a dark navy unlike the black of today. Those long muscular legs pumping, running away… From a wild looking redhead Alice had never seen before. The girl ripped her shirt off and screamed wordlessly, her skin rippling before the vision went black.

"Hello?" Isabella waved her hand over Alice's face, "Anybody home?" The girl had gone from shocked, to curious to zoned out in a few seconds. The total vulnerability had given Isabella the chance she needed to get comfortable. This girl couldn't be that dangerous if she zoned out like that at random.

Alice shivered and leaned away from the new girl, confused by the pain she saw on the girl's face in her vision. "You okay?" Right now the girl is right there Alice, and you need to say something before she really thinks you're a freak. She's not in pain, she's confused.

"Fine, it happens all the time." Alice muttered.

"Oh." The girl sat back like she'd been slapped, and turned all her attention on the teacher, taking careful notes of everything he said, even referencing page numbers along the side. Alice watched her from the corner of her eye, wishing she knew what caused this girl so much pain. She would do anything she could to stop that kind of heartbreak. She gasped as the next image slammed into her.

This girl in her arms, nuzzling her as they ran through the woods. Smiling over something Alice had said, and laughed silently. Alice looked up with pure adoration in her eyes and kissed the girl warmly- "Ms. Cullen are you okay?" The girl had grabbed her arm this time, trying to get her attention. "Mr. Banner, I am going to take her to the nurse, I think something's wrong." Alice felt the girl lift her up as delicious heat surrounded her body, but she was so focused on what she'd seen that she couldn't comprehend it.

Isabella carried Alice out of the classroom, worried about the practically blind vampire. The first time it had been amusing, but this level of inattention is simply reckless. How could her- " _Coven Mates."_ Kira supplied. How could her coven mates leave her so vulnerable? A growl rumbled through Isabella's chest, and she realized that she was angry over vampiric negligence. A toy to mess around with didn't deserve this level of upset. Not wanting Kira or Victoria to pick up on her confusion, Isabella shut them out gently, so they could still push through if the need was dire.

Setting the vampire down to distance herself was a mistake. As soon as the cold body left her arms, Isabella felt bereft, and she couldn't help but think of when she had first shifted. That angry empty space in her chest, begging to be filled by whatever she had lost. Isabella rubbed her chest, wishing she could fix the emptiness that always pushed at her, that had pushed her to shift the very first time, and made it so hard to shift back. Having Kira had given her the calm she needed to shift back, but it had never filled the void.

Isabella bit her cheek, this is supposed to be fun remember? Try to have some fun with the pixie. She went through multiple pick-up lines before deciding that fun was more Kira's department, and she turned to walk back to class. Alice lunged towards her, grabbing her wrist, "Wait!" Isabella turned, her scarred face suddenly less beautiful, and more terrifying as she waited angrily. Alice blinked at the change, and stammered, "Th-thank you."

"Whatever." Isabella did the impossible then, and pulled her hand from Alice's grip with no effort. She retreated back to the classroom, and finished taking her notes on everything on the board. She was busily trying to catch up when she saw a sheet of paper fall in front of her. She looked up to see a sweet looking girl with honey blonde hair watching her shyly.

"You can copy my notes if you want to." She blushed as Isabella continued to watch her, and mumbled, "I'm Angela."

A hand slipped into Angela's further worsening her blush as Isabella sighed, "Isabella." She heard Angela's heart rate increase and she raised an eyebrow at the girl. Teasing vampires was nerve-wracking, but humans were so easy they did it all themselves? She really hadn't done anything had she? "Thanks, for the notes I mean." She chewed her cheek and figured that Kira would like be okay if she made another friend, "You wouldn't happen to know where the cafeteria is would you? I have third period lunch."

Angela smiled and pulled Isabella out of her seat, "That's perfect, I have the same, so we can even sit together with my friends if you want." It warmed Isabella's heart that the girl didn't even seem to pause at the scars marring her face. She had ignored the looks of curiosity and disgust from her fellow students, but she hadn't really expected someone to just treat them with the same speculation as a nose, part of her but not worth questioning.

Isabella followed her with a shy smile, "I dunno, my sister likes to make plans with-OW!" Isabella got hit by a streak of cream and black that sent her tumbling towards the ground. It was only a quick roll that saved her from braining herself on the linoleum. She rolled to her feet and turned to see Kira mirroring her crouched position with a feral grin. Obviously her sister was going stir crazy with all the sitting. "I'm gonna kill you Kira." She called playfully, launching herself at her sister, and wrestling her until Isabella ended up sitting on her sister's back, with Kira's face ground into the floor. She knew Kira had let her win, but it still put a grin on her face. "Angela, let me introduce my sister Kira."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **A/N: The people have spoken! K guys, anyone just starting is not going to notice a difference, but I'm updating all the chapters to get rid of the name confusion. I liked it for my own reasons, and I had some thoughts on how it would be fun and provide some special moments, but none of them are that important, so with all the reviews asking about the name situation, consider yourselves heard. I'll be updating all of those today.**

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The Cullen's looked up in surprise, they were usually the last ones into the cafeteria, but the breeze from the doors indicated otherwise. It carried the warm smell of rain and wild things. Two girls came in, a younger brunette built with lean muscles that made her look stocky in comparison to the older girl with her. The younger one who looked to be sixteen was riding on the shoulders of a tall willowy woman whose black hair lay in curtains down to nearly the middle of her back.

Jasper sat up, his eyes wide as he felt the surge of joy with an undercurrent of abject agony. He clenched his jaw and stared at the two women, unable to understand how someone could feel two conflicted emotions in such intensity. "Jazz, you okay-" Alice asked. Her question was cut off with a vision of herself laughing and rising up on her tiptoes to kiss a, a blank space. "What?" She looked up sharply, analyzing the two new girls.

Alice wasn't the only one, the whole cafeteria was staring at them with a mixture of awe, lust, and reproach. A low growl bubbled up from the pixie's throat and all the Cullen's snapped around to stare at her. Edward let loose a low snarl of his own, and though it was inaudible to the humans, the tables around them flinched. "They find our distress amusing." He murmured, "The oldest seems to think of us as toys."

Rose grit her teeth, "I am no one's toy." She squared her shoulders, prepared to glare at the girls all through the lunch hour until both of them wished they hadn't been born. Emmett shuddered, happy he wasn't on the receiving end. Rose's death glare was enough put the fear of god into anyone. Hmmn, maybe that's why Edward is so messed up over the soul thing. Edward glared at Emmett.

The younger girl giggled and finally hopped off her sister? And the two of them joined the Cullen's table, squeezing themselves on opposite ends, the youngest right between Em and Jasper, the elder was between Alice and Edward. "Ooooo fries" the youngest started eating off Emmett's plate, shocking the big vampire with her proximity and her smell. Both girls had the slightest whiff of something savory to them that was both mouth-watering and repellant. Jasper was too shocked by the heat radiating against his frozen skin to even think about being tempted.

"Oh ew, Isabella don't eat those, you have no idea where they've been." The elder girl smacked her sister's arm and put a huge paper bag in front of her, "Sorry about her, she still has terrible table manners."

Isabella snorted, "Oh yeah because you're so neat." She waved a fry at Rosalie who seemed personally offended by the strip of potato, "Don't believe a word Kira says, she's totally full of shit."

Jasper couldn't help but give a pained smile at their antics, the waves of joy washing over him were enough to overwhelm the constant bloodlust from his siblings, even if that agonizing pain from 'Kira' felt equally constant, it was a welcome change. Alice frowned, watching the two girls tease and mess around with one another like they weren't sitting at a table of vampires, it was so different from her behavior in class. She took that back, the younger girl seemed very aware that she was surrounded by predators, but she seemed so much more confident with Kira by her side. Alice couldn't help but feel sad, she couldn't understand why, but seeing Isabella depend on someone so fully made her sad. It was utterly ridiculous.

"Don't worry." Rosalie sniffed, "I don't plan on listening to either of you." Edward and Jasper both knew it was only Rose's pride that kept her at the table with the two obnoxious girls.

Kira's eyes glinted with mischief as she looked over the blonde, "Oh someone's uptight. Hey Bells, how long do you think before she's begging to get into my pants?"

Isabella snorted her fry, coughing to clear her throat, "Not while I'm eating Kira." She snickered, her voice hoarse. She'd recovered so fast that Alice only had time to tense before the danger was gone. Isabella shook her head, "I'd bet sooner on covergirl over there." She gave Edward a significant look and started digging into the paper bag. Isabella gave a moan that had half the cafeteria staring at her, "Remind me to tell mom I love her." Isabella pulled out a burger, and the vampires were surprised to find that not only did it smell familiar, they could also smell the slightest hint of blood.

Venison, practically raw venison. Alice stared in horror, "You aren't going to eat that right? That can't be good for you." She had heard Carlisle talk about food poisoning enough that she knew improperly cooked meat was a big source of his patients, especially around cook-out holidays.

Kira turned to Isabella and stage-whispered, "Hear that Bella? I think the vampire is gonna steal your lunch." She teased, glancing over to see each of them stiffen in their own way, except for Emmett. He seemed entirely unfazed by everything. Kira decided it would be her personal mission to make that man as uncomfortable as possible.

"Hey kit watch this." Kira told her sister, her mirth putting a huge grin on Isabella's face. The girl watched her sister eagerly while devouring a seemingly endless amount of food from the bag. "Emmett." She purred, he raised his eyebrow, waiting to see what she was going to do next. As far as Emmett was concerned, this chick was hilarious, and he was game for whatever she wanted to try next. He'd heard good things about her antics in the first two periods.

Kira looked him over slowly, going through so many plans it was giving Alice a headache before she settled on one that would have made the pixie blush if it was still possible. She stood up fluidly, her movements too graceful for any mortal being, and the look in her eyes was that of a predator watching the final moments of his prey. Emmett watched her with a huge grin, aware that his wife was going to kill him when they got home, but he had to see what Kira was up to before his wife got her hands on this girl.

"Emmett." Kira actually purred this time, her chest rumbling, and her eyes flashed dangerously as she crawled onto the table. All eyes were on her. Emmett sat frozen, the grin on his face, but the humor gone from his eyes. Kira shoved the trays out of her way, her voluptuous chest pushed towards him. If he glanced down he could see right down her top. Even worse was the way her hips swayed with each movement she made. Her eyes were hypnotic, and it felt as if the short table was suddenly three times the length as Kira drew out the torment.

Finally she reached him, sitting back on her haunches, she put one scorching hand on his cheek. He shuddered at the heat that spread through his face. Kira's lips twisted into the first smile any of them had seen on her face, and it took her from breathtaking straight to heartstopping. Though in Emmett's case, he was worried that his heart would start up again, pounding away from the attention. He was caught in her gaze, and he'd never felt more vulnerable in life. "Emmett." Kira murmured, fisting her fingers in his hair and pulling his head back to bare his neck, "What would your mate think?" She murmured against his neck.

"Unnngh.." He shuddered again. Isabella snorted, covering her mouth.

Just like that the spell was broken. Kira's smile disappeared, but her eyes twinkled as she slid back into her seat, waggling her eyebrows at her little sister. "Easy money."

"Totally worth it." Isabella laughed, passing her a five.

Kira frowned, startling everyone at the table with her next words. "Excuse me, it was an even two hundred."

Isabella raised her eyebrow and started listing things off. "Fifty on the burger, two hundred on the uhh, that," She blushed and gestured at Emmett who was still recovering with a sympathetic look from Jasper who had been equally caught. "Ninety-five on Blondie keeping a handle on it, and another forty on the mind reader letting you get away with it." Isabella snuck a glance at Edward and snickered, "Honestly Kira, it's like you've never bet on vampires before."

The others looked to Edward quickly and realized that he was still frozen in shock over everything that had happened. Most of them had to bite back smirks of some kind. Usually Eddy boy had the advantage in every conversation, but with every male mind focused entirely on Kira's body, the sudden change from 'saucy' to 'screw me' had thrown the poor victorian aged boy into a fully fledged conniption. Rose on the other hand was frozen between amusement and rage, the internal turmoil forcing Jasper to leave, even as it turned the blonde's eyes pitch black.

"Fine, whatever." Kira grumbled, taking her money. "I don't think the boy had much of a chance." She muttered, drawing the Cullen's attention back to her. She shook her head and started digging into her own meal that was just as concerningly undercooked as Isabella's.

"You guys just gonna watch us eat? I mean seriously, you aren't brain-dead are you?" Isabella asked after swallowing.

"Do you always make such vulgar bets with your siblings?" Edward hissed.

Isabella rolled her eyes, "First of all, you should meet our mom before you judge Kira, second of all, you were just as enthralled as everyone else covergirl. Seriously my mom may kill you tonight at dinner with her sexiness alone."

"My name is Edward." He growled, not missing the fact that she seemed to know everyone else's name, but his was somehow replaced with a demeaning nickname. He tried to figure out why, but he felt her and Kira's minds close almost immediately. "How do you do that?" He snarled.

Kira and Isabella traded looks, and Edward stiffened, knowing that they were somehow communicating. They looked back to him and replied in unison. "Magic!" In that moment the bell rang and both girls were packed up. "See you later monkey man." Kira waved at Emmett who blanched, worried that his wife was going to remove pieces of him and shove them somewhere unpleasant if Kira did any more teasing.

Isabella packed her things quickly, and got up to leave with her sister. She felt the familiar emptiness pulse in her chest, and she couldn't ignore the urge to look back. Isabella snuck a look at Alice, and gave her a tiny smile before slinking after her sister, unaware of her graceful, nearly predatory walk. Those watching Isabella experienced dry mouths, and sweaty palms as she passed, not sure if she was dangerous, or just gorgeous. Kira on the other hand was easy, and half the boys moved to follow her out of the cafeteria in rapture before their friends yanked them down.

Alice felt a pang of something uncomfortable when Isabella threw her arms around the shoulders of two boys who didn't get pushed away. They were welcomed in with eagerness, and a beautiful smile on the girl's face. She had sought them out and relaxed in their company, something Alice noticed no one else received. She had tried searching for the girl's interactions with others, but never once did she reach out, except with her sister and these, these boys. Children really.

"So is it just me, or did we get invited to their house for dinner?" Emmett asked, leaning forward curiously. Rosalie smacked him upside the head, and they heard the heartwarming sound of laughter from outside.

"Tori is going to flip her lid." Isabella informed her older sister as soon as the boys split off for their classes, keeping a firm lid on her mind. She didn't like the way that mind reader had looked at Kira, like she was some kind of misguided delinquent in need of his help. Isabella's family didn't need anyone's help, let alone that of some intrusive vampire.

Kira rolled her eyes and shoved her kitten's shoulder playfully, "You and I both know she's going to have just as much fun as I am with them. Among our own kind this would be considered rude and we would be appropriately admonished, but vampires? Vampires are free game for everyone. It's not like we affect their territory with our hunting, so we can all live pretty easily together. It's what makes it fun, because they can't claim we are invaders. Not like those mutts down the way." Her aggravation at that stupid confrontation was obvious over their link as she thought about how stupid that alpha had been.

Isabella snarled, loudly. Kira went wide eyed and put a hand over Isabella's mouth and shoved her into a janitor's closet, "What is wrong with you?" She hissed, "Someone could have heard you."

"I'll kill him." Isabella growled, her body rigid with anger. "I'll rip him to pieces for daring to touch you." Her eyes flashed golden, and though she didn't shake at all, Kira knew that her kitten was a step away from shifting in the middle of the school. "ISABELLA" Kira commanded, her voice ringing through her kitten's mind like the tones of a bell. "Calm yourself. Remember where you are." She demanded, ignoring everything Isabella was saying until she could get the girl to calm down. She could feel the fear and the rage ripping apart the girl's hard won control.

Kira closed her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'll cover for you okay hon? You need to go for a run." She kissed Isabella's forehead softly, "Don't let anyone see you, remember?"

Isabella clenched her fists, nodding jerkily. "Don't go after the mutt until you've talked to Victoria." Kira's instruction rang with power, pushing the girl's anger aside to make her listen. She couldn't take away Isabella's choices, but she could send the girl to someone who would she would listen to. "Don't stay out too late. We're having guests remember?" She reminded softly, not sure that Isabella heard a word of it. Her kitten shoved past her and ran out of the building as the halls began to fill with students trying to make their way to their next class.

Kira closed her eyes and silently cursed her own stupidity before leaving the closet and going to her next class. She just hoped her kitten would be okay on her own. Kira endured her classes in silence, disappointing those who expected her to continue her antics. She thought about it seriously, especially when she ended up in a class with that gay little toaster, his antiquated opinions, and rather blatant sexist opinions were almost enough to drive Kira to murdering Edward. He was an asshat if ever she'd met one.

The strain of trying to keep an eye on Isabella without intruding on her alone time, keeping in contact with Victoria to keep her informed, behaving in front of all the students, and maintaining her mental shields against the mind reader… By the time the final bell rang, Kira allowed herself the momentary satisfaction of popping the dodgeball in her hands to avoid the desire to kill the boys lining up to talk to her. Normally it would be fun to play with them, but she just wanted to check on her little one who was still running in the woods, though what woods, or what state was all up to question.

One calming breath later, and Kira wove her way between the boys, taking advantages of spaces that shouldn't have been big enough to hold her without getting smashed between them. It was breathtaking to watch, and despite the crush, not a single human among them ended up touching her skin. However, it wasn't just the humans that were watching her. Kira left the gym in a fresh set of clothes before anyone else in her class was finished changing, only to find sex hair himself staring at her.

"Frustrated?" She taunted, aggravated and needing someone to take out her stress on before she did something inappropriate. Her kitten would have frowned at her use of a vampire for her own personal stress toy, but what the kit didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

The frustration lifted for a moment, and he smiled, "Who is your kitten?"

Kira slammed her mind shut tight, cutting off her connection to both the kitten and Tori. "Your mother. She was a good lay if I say so myself, a little uptight though." Edward's eyes darkened in anger, and Kira let some of the stiffness of her voice dissipate, "Turns out she had a whole tree up her ass though, so I had to break things off. I guess she passed it on."

"Must you always hide your feminine charms behind such vulgar behavior?" Edward asked stiffly, all of his power focused on the beautiful woman in front of him. He would happily admit that she was attractive, graceful despite being as tall as Emmett, towering over most everyone she met. Her long ebon hair trailing down her back in sheer falls that made him think of the orient, that belief only emphasized by the slightest hint of an almond shape in her eyes, and the soft roundness of her face.

"Feminine charms?" Kira's expression was inscrutable to the blonde vampire and it angered him to no end that he could not understand her coy behavior. "My kitten was right." Something flashed in her eyes before he could catch it, some emotion, but she was so closed off. Even Jasper hadn't been able to get a proper read on her while they were together.

"Is she the one who caused you so much pain?" He asked softly, wanting to understand her. She was a beautiful puzzle that he wanted to unravel. Her eyes flashed a glorious tawny, and he could sense the instinctive shift in her posture from human to predatory.

Kira stalked over to him, her whole body singing to him in ways he'd long considered impossible. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was caught in her spell, like a bird staring into the eyes of a snake, Edward couldn't break free. He could only breathe in short gasps, waiting for her to release him, or devour him. "My pain is no business of yours." She said, her voice rough with the emotion he couldn't find on her face. It was a mask so perfect that he burned to rip it away and see the depth of her soul, a soul that he could never reveal in return. He shouldn't let himself lead her on through his weakness. Edward willed himself to move but he could not. "Do not presume to ask questions about my pain Edward."

Edward shivered at the way her husky voice caressed his name, turning it into a call for his love so much stronger than his own desire. She needed him. "I-"

"Hey! Kira!" Emmett jogged over, "Thank god we caught you am I right?" He rolled his eyes playfully. "Eddy, you remembered to ask her right?" He looked at Edward's shell-shocked expression and smirked at Kira, waggling his eyebrows, "Working your magic on him too huh? Well we were just wondering if you could give us your address so we can come over for dinner tonight. I promise we'll do the same thing for you too, we'll be the best neighbors ever."

Kira looked at Emmett cautiously before nodding, he didn't hold the same weight and desire in his gaze that Edward did. She trusted him to have no ulterior motives, where she felt that Edward was trying to force something out of her that he did not deserve. "It would be my pleasure. Would you like an actual meal or just a meeting?"

Emmett blinked in surprise, but before he could speak, Alice bounced over and hugged her brother's arm, "We're all well fed, but maybe we can organize something for our next hunt in a week or so."

Kira avoided the urge to laugh at the small girl's willingness to accept her joking invitation. "You are a very strange vampire." She gave her number to Alice, "We eat dinner at seven, I expect you'll be punctual?"

Alice gave her a grin that made Kira a little nervous, it was a little too confident, "Don't worry, everyone will be there right on time, and everything will be perfect."

The tiger raised her eyebrow at that, but chose not to comment further. "Don't forget to bring your 'parents' I'm sure it will be quite the shindig, and I would hate for them to miss all of this."

"We will all be there." Edward assured her, giving her that creepy desperate look again. Emmett looked at Rosalie and mouthed 'shindig' with a raised eyebrow. She smacked his shoulder, resisting the urge to giggle at his ridiculousness.


	6. Chapter 6

Victoria had a fairly boring day staying at home, she unpacked her things, organized the living spaces to her personal liking, and even read a few books before lunch time. She did her best to ignore the raging emotions on the other side of her mental connection, she hadn't expected the bond to be so loud quite so soon and it was more uncomfortable than she had remembered. To help distract her, Victoria decided to stock the empty pantry. They weren't going to destroy the environment with their hunting, but it was always good to get some human food in with all the meat that they would get from the woods.

She hopped into her truck and turned the monstrosity on, humming to the obnoxious roaring of the engine. Victoria took a great deal of pride in her noisy vehicle, it reminded her of the first cars that had been constantly backfiring, and roaring down the countryside, scaring off all the local wildlife. The truck roared into the parking lot of the only grocery store in town, Victoria squinted at the name and decided that there was no right way to pronounce 'Broulims' without looking stupid for having said the word in the first place.

Despite it being a monday, the parking lot was fairly full, so Victoria parked in the back next to a black Mercedes out there probably so that they wouldn't get all scratched up. She took a perverse pleasure putting her giant orange rust bucket right next to the classy vehicle. Stepping out of the truck surrounded her with the pleasant smells of forest life, and something elusive and delicious. Maybe the deli was doing something new, but whatever it was, Victoria was determined to find it. She grabbed a cart and followed that smell into the store.

Old trees, and rich dirt was replaced with linoleum and greenhouse fruit, the unearthly scent however, remained the same. Victoria meandered through the aisles, checking out the deli and the produce hoping to find it there but she couldn't. She frowned to herself, grabbing food for the three of them, slowly filling the basket to bursting. Suddenly the scent increased tenfold, and a cold hand grabbed Victoria's arm, pulling her to a stop just before she nearly crashed into a display. She looked up in surprise to see a beautiful woman standing over her.

Oval cheeks, big soft chocolate curls and shining golden eyes topped a concerned smile, "Are you okay? You almost crashed right there."

Victoria blinked, "Of-of course." She inhaled and was overwhelmed even more by the smell wafting off the woman in front of her. It was sweet, homey and comforting. A deep breath brought the delicious scent of paper, fresh coffee and ripe grapefruit. Victoria wanted to drown in that smell, in those eyes, where were they? She opened her eyes again, unaware that they had closed, and realized that she was purring. "I am so sorry." She murmured, unaware of the adorable front she was presenting to the woman in front of her. "I'm usually not like this."

The other woman smiled, "It's quite all right dear, but.." She hesitated, "Would you mind if I accompanied you on the rest of your shopping trip? You seem rather out of it."

Victoria found herself nodding without ever thinking about it, "I would love that, uhmm..?"

"Esme." The woman beamed, dazzling the shifter in front of her.

"Esme," Victoria breathed, turning the name over in her mind, "I am Victoria, and it's lovely to meet you." She followed Esme as she led her through the store, packing her cart high enough that any normal human would have had trouble pushing it, or even keeping everything balanced. It was enough to concern the shifter that the woman would strain herself while shopping. She scented the air once more. Victoria's smile widened. Vampire. "So tell me about yourself Esme." The older woman purred, keeping so close that the vampiress would have to feel the heat radiating off her like a wave. All thoughts of concern long gone.

Esme ducked her head, and though she couldn't blush, Victoria could practically taste the woman's embarrassment. "Nothing much to tell I'm afraid. I live with my brother, and work as an interior designer."

A predatory grin graced thin lips, "Interior designer? It must be my lucky day. You see I just moved into town with my girls, and we have furniture, but the place still feels like an empty home. You wouldn't happen to have time to take a look at it would you?"

Light brightened Esme's amber eyes, and she beamed, "Oh I would love to! When are you free for me to come see the house? We can talk about what you want in terms of color schemes, and I can get a feel for your personal style. Truly Victoria, you just made my day. I haven't had a project to work on in ages." Esme gushed excitedly, warming Victoria to the core with her child-like excitement.

Victoria laughed, hooking her arm around Esme's waist, "Do you have time now? I'm done with my shopping, you could always follow me home, and we'll put your groceries in my fridge until you're done so you don't have to worry about your things spoiling."

Esme bit her lip, "Are you sure that I wouldn't be a bother?"

"I invited you Esme. Of course you aren't a bother." Victoria released her hold on the woman's waist, and moved into the checkout line in front of the vampiress, displaying her extreme comfort around the woman once more. Esme couldn't help but wish she could still feel the warmth of Victoria's arm around her. It was a lovely sensation that made her want to bask in the warmth. She had expected the woman to be repulsed by her chill, and the instinctive need to distance oneself from a vampire, but this strange woman had none of that, if anything, she seemed drawn to Esme, seeking out opportunities to spend more time with her.

The vampiress smiled to herself, watching Victoria move with grace, and an infinite patience that matched Carlisle's. It was something she admired in the man, even if she could never quite feel the same peace that he did. Esme had always supposed that it was her youth that held her back, pushing her to move faster, keep up with the times, maintain contact with the human world. That urge to continue living and pushing was half the reason her family lived so close to humans, and it did sometimes cause trouble, but without it, what would they do with themselves? There was always the sense that something was missing, even in her human life, and she had always pushed for more, or wanted to push.

She sank into herself, thinking of the times when she hadn't pushed, when she had let herself subsist on less than everything she deserved. Her husband wasn't the most pleasant of thoughts, but not because of the pain, his influence on her mind was long gone. What made it unpleasant was the gentle desire to speak with him, to show him how his behavior had burdened both of their lives. Esme would never give the man another chance to hurt her, but she wished desperately that she had been strong enough to talk to him, to push him on a better path. He died years after she did, ever the raging alcoholic. Henry was not a good man by any means, but Esme wished that she had pushed back, before he had become so harsh and bitter.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Victoria watched her with timeless eyes that gave away no warmth or chill, but the patience of a predator. Esme blinked in surprise, there was nothing timeless about Victoria, she was coiled, tensed for an attack. It reminded her of Rosalie, but different because Rosalie jumped to conclusions so easily, leaping from feeling to feeling as she fought the conflict in her heart. The wonderful smelling woman in front of her was neither pouncing, nor patient. She was prepared.

Esme toyed with the straps of her purse, forcing herself to fidgit, "I was thinking about you actually." She would have blushed if it was possible. Victoria's grin was practically sinful the way her lips spread over gleaming teeth, and her eyes sparkled with possibilities. "I was wondering about your story. If I may ask."

Victoria's smile grew lazy, and her eyes hooded as she looked to her groceries, loading the belt. "I'm a simple woman." She gave a small chuckle, her clear voice shadowed by a husky brogue. "I was born in Grenock just south o' Loch Lomond. I would help with the harvest, and chase off the boys with sticks." She winked, her accent fading away to nearly nothing, though now that Esme knew about it, she could hear the hints of it in the way Victoria shaped the words. "My parents kicked me out as a rebellious youth, and I decided that none of the boys were worth my time, so I traveled."

"Really?" Esme could definitely see this woman as a traveler, her confidence and easy personality would lend itself well to travel. "Do you speak any other languages?"

Victoria pursed her lips and winked again, "I can't go spilling all my secrets now can I?" She tossed her bright red curls over her shoulder, "A woman has to have her mysteries."

Esme grinned, "It just means I'll have to work them out of you while we work on your house." She realized something hadn't been explained, "What about your daughters?"

Victoria laughed, a beautiful sound that drew more than one pair of eyes, "That was a surprise I'll admit. It all happened so fast, one day I was single, and the next I was still single, but with two nearly grown daughters learning their way in the world." She shook her head at herself, "In truth, a few years ago, decades really, I found myself struggling with the nomadic life, and I settled down. Now here I am with two kids, finding a new place to settle again. I guess the wanderlust never really leaves, it just settles in your bones and waits for the right time to strike."

Esme ducked her head to her own task, reminding herself that she needed to load up her own groceries so they wouldn't hold up the line. It had never been a concern before, but she wanted to stay and talk to this woman and learn more about her. So much could be learned from someone who'd led such a fluid life. Esme had moved with her family of course, but the patterns were all so similar that they all bled into one another, and though the memories were all pristine, it was difficult to care which was where. She couldn't imagine her new friend being so set in stone.

"And your daughters? Do you think they mind the move?" She could imagine how upset Rosalie and Alice would be to move so suddenly, even the boys had their set ways and moving without any kind of serious planning would put them all on edge.

"Of course not, it was their idea. They saw me getting antsy and decided that they wanted to swap coasts. They even pitched the whole small town, middle of the woods thing. Both their hearts were set on moving somewhere new and seeing more things. They take after me I'm afraid." There was nothing in her eyes or voice to denote the pain that Esme could sense, but she had the feeling that Victoria wished they weren't all so similar.

"Why the woods?" She asked, trying to steer away from the painful subject.

Victoria gave her a smirk, "My girls are athletes. We put your Sheriff and his boys to the test, hiking out by the reservation, and all over the nearby trails really. We even talked about doing a weekend camping trip the next time we have some real sun out to enjoy." She was standing by a loaded cart, and Esme realized in utter mortification that she and the cashier were waiting for her to pay for her own purchases.

"Oh my.." She mumbled, grabbing her wallet. Esme paid quickly and shook her head at her own ridiculousness. It wasn't until she was outside the building, pushing her cart again that she realized Victoria was giggling helplessly.

"Your face was just priceless." Victoria gasped, trying to stop for Esme's sake, "Honestly you were fine." She stumbled a little, and Esme couldn't help but smile and steady Victoria with a hand around the woman's waist.

"Was I really so bad?"

"Oh yes, but it was adorable."

Esme closed her eyes for longer than the average blink, taking a breath to settle herself. "So uhm, where did you park dear?"

"Dear? Oh none of that. It's Victoria to my friends, and Tori to my close friends." The redhead corrected with a broad smile, "I however, parked on the very far end of the parking lot. Right over there." She pointed right at Esme's car.

The vampiress smiled, "Well that's just my luck, you parked right by me."

"You're the Mercedes?" Victoria asked in disbelief, she couldn't see this relaxed woman driving such an uptight car. Esme seemed more like a prius, or a volkswagon kind of woman. Dependable, comfortable, welcoming. Victoria chewed her cheek, maybe she had jumped the gun with her assumptions.

Esme quickly allayed her fears, "It's my brother's car. I don't really drive often, so when I go shopping, I drop him off at work, and take the car. The children take the volvo." Esme was interested to see another minor shift in Victoria, like she was relaxing after a scare. Would it really be so concerning if she drove a Mercedes? Esme put a pin in that thought, deciding to come back to it later. However, there was something more pressing to discuss. "So you said you and your daughters go hiking a lot? You stay close to the trails right? We have a lot of bears out by Mt. Ranier, and wolves are all over in these woods." She frowned when Victoria laughed again, to the point of tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh yes, we know allllll about the wolves in the area." She snorted, "We ran across a few up on the reservation." Esme turned paler than the Jaguar thought possible, and it just made her laugh harder, "A bunch of overgrown puppies if you ask me. The locals are even worse if you ask me. The whole lot of them smell like decay." She giggled, picking up a little bit of Kira's playfulness. She had sensed it all through the day, and it was beginning to affect her behavior. "Victoria, we're having guests for dinner." Victoria couldn't focus on the message, her humor sobered at the blatant fear in Esme's eyes and stopped them both to hug the woman tightly, "Esme, we are experienced hikers, I promise you that we take good care of ourselves. Derek Swan and his boys warned us of all the dangers, and we've done worse back at home in the Appalachians. There were whole weeks where the world could have been a dream, we were so far from any human influence. We know what we're doing." Victoria kissed the statue-still woman on the cheek.

Esme took a calming breath and nodded, following the redhead to their cars, but her mind was elsewhere, worrying about what would happen to Victoria and her daughters. Between the wolves in the woods, and the vampires who hunted most often on sunny weekends, she couldn't help but worry that Victoria would be a casualty of a world she knew nothing about. Victoria sighed and left Esme to her thoughts, only bothering the other woman to ensure they would still be going together to check out the house before Esme went home to put away her groceries, they were, so they separated to their cars, only deepening the silence between them. It would have been possible to maintain their conversation even from there, but Victoria had yet to meet a vampire that enjoyed the presence of a shifter.

The drive was calm, the roar of her engine the only thing to interrupt the silence. "Victoria!" The shifter jerked in surprise, the car swerving dangerously. "You have to talk some sense into her! She's going to go after that pack of mutts." Victoria stared wide-eyed in shock as Kira went over her rather disastrous conversation with their kitten. "She won't listen to me."

"You idiot." Victoria narrowed her eyes, muttering curses under her breath, "Of course our kitten would want to protect you. She didn't stand idly by when I tried to rip your throat out, and this is no different." Victoria pushed on the gas pedal, ignoring the engine's whine, "Of course. Черт дворняги губит все. Sicut fortuna." She growled, turning into the driveway sharply. She parked the car quickly and ran into the back yard where she knew Isabella would be, "What the hell are you thinking huh?" She snapped, grabbing the girl up in her arms.

(God damn mutts ruin everything; russian. Just my luck; latin.)

Trembles ran down Isabella's spine that worsened with the growls wracking her thin gangly frame. She didn't look more than sixteen and yet her body was already falling apart at the seams, speaking of abuse and hatred. A seething hatred that lit her eyes with a hellish glow. "He touched her, he threatened her. That coward attacked her from behind." Isabella snarled, her body jerking from the intensity of her emotions.

Victoria snarled back and lifted Isabella's chin, "No. She provoked him. Kira surpassed her boundaries and was summarily punished for it. He is a child, and an ass, but that gives you no reason to behave as such little one." She emphasized the title, reminding Isabella that she was no more than a kit herself. "He suffers the same rage that we do, without the gravity to understand it. His kind is tainted, their stink fills those forests and it is not something they understand. You stay away from those dogs, and show them only the minor respect that we owe. Tainted or not they are family, and will be treated as such little one." She lifted Isabella's chin, staring into her sullen, rage-filled eyes.

Isabella glared back, never breaking eye-contact with the older woman. Their bond was open and both could feel each other's understanding, their pain and anger, their shared desire to damage the dogs for attacking a sister. But in Victoria's mind, Isabella found what she was looking for, what she needed. Pride. Pride in Kira's strength. A strength needed to take charge, and establish their claim. Isabella sighed, not backing down, but then Victoria never expected her too, they were not dogs to follow a pack leader. They did as they pleased and then returned home to enjoy one another's company. "I'll be home for dinner."

Victoria kissed Isabella's cheek, "Go for your run, have fun. You're supposed to be our kitten remember? Act like one." Isabella nodded, disappearing into the foliage. Victoria shook her head at the child's insanity and jogged back to the cars to see Esme watching her with concern, and confusion blatant in her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out, "Sorry you had to hear that Esme, Kira had a disagreement with one of the boys down at La Push, Isabella found out, it was a drama fest. Hopefully she'll have calmed down in time for dinner."

"Dinner?" Esme stared at the woman, deciding that she could not be human. She behaved like she knew Esme had heard everything, and what's more, it explained the lack of normal behavior about her more obvious traits.

"Kira invited your children to dinner. Unless you find the house unbearable, in which case we can post-pone it until a later date?" She raised her eyebrows at Esme and grabbed about three times as many bags as a normal human could. Since she was not hiding herself, she didn't have any qualms about showing off.

Esme blinked, frozen in surprise once more. "Oh, well uhm, of course not." She grabbed the perishables and brought them into the house, remembering that she needed to refrigerate some of it. She walked into the house and was surprised by what she saw.

The outside of the house was a fairly standard lower class edwardian home, with corrugated iron for the roof, cream paneling, and a broad porch spanning the whole front of the house. Inside was a completely different affair. Half of the first floor was eaten up in a bright great room split into the sitting area right by the door, and the dining room. The furniture was all dark woods and soft leather surrounded by a mind-boggling shade of chartreuse that made Esme itch with the need to paint. The table looked older than she was, and judging by the heavy build, and the grooves she could see in it, it was older than she. In fact, Esme took more effort in looking at the furniture around them and realized that each piece held that same flawed, rugged look of materials crafted by human hands.

Walking past the eye-sore that was the great room, Esme winced at the kitchen that opened into the dining room, "We have our work cut out for us..." Laminate flooring in an obnoxious vomit brown, formica countertops that were chipping and peeling, and a simply glowing shade of magenta walls to top it all off. "I don't know if I can survive seeing the upstairs." She admitted, worried that if she went upstairs she'd find shag carpet tacked to the walls, and nasty old paneling.

"And that's why I needed your help." Victoria replied, "If we weren't so close to town, I would rebuild it myself, but at this point, all I can do is pray you'll work your magic." She saw the wary look in Esme's eye and caught up the woman's hands, pulling her close, "For me?" She asked softly, trying not to let her desperation show, Victoria wanted to keep this woman near until she understood. Understood the depth of change in her own personality around this woman.

Esme stared up into Victoria's intense hazel eyes and her breath caught, pausing as she froze under the weight of the eyes on her. She could drown in those eyes, falling endlessly into a realm of hazel. All thought was forgotten, she could only bring herself to do as Victoria wished, "Of course." She whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long delay. I have been settling back into college life for the last few weeks and packing to move the weeks before. Now that things are coming into a more regular pattern, I'm hoping to get back on track with my writing, until then, I present to you my absolute favorite chapter yet.**

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"WELL! This is the house, and there's my mom flirting with your mom, and-" Kira burst into the house, giving the Cullen children a very loud tour of the house. Her shouting from the living room gave Esme and Victoria the split second they needed to jump away before all the house was flooded with vampires, "And upstairs we have bedrooms which none of you are allowed to see until we finish cleaning up."

Emmett snickered at the mortified look on Esme's face, in retaliation, Rosalie smacked him upside the head. "Don't you have another family member?" Jasper asked, wary of their situation. The girls had been far too cavalier about inviting a whole family of vampires into their home and he couldn't help but feel like this was some kind of ambush.

"Isabella is running off some steam." Kira shrugged, "She'll be back in time for dinner. Speaking of dinner, I'm starved. Tori what have we got?" She pulled open the fridge.

Victoria smacked her hand and bumped her aside, "Oh no, you brought friends, so you get to entertain them. Now out of my kitchen." She shooed her out and turned to Esme, her cheeks a little pink, "You mind helping me with dinner?" Esme bit her lip and nodded. The two of them got to work in a comfortable, if embarrassed, silence.

Kira rolled her eyes, "Okay guys, we've got more board games than you can shake a stick at, video games, and the shed is full of balls and frisbees and crap for messing around outside. Any preferences?"

"Books?" Jasper asked shyly.

Kira nodded, "Hell yeah, upstairs, first door on the left… The three stacks on the right." Jasper nodded his thanks and sped upstairs, disappearing, half to feel more secure, but also to escape the emotional tension in the room. Emmett was on edge waiting for another one of Kira's tricks, Rose was struggling between liking the girl, and being jealous. Edward was frustrated and lusting after the girl, while Alice was more upset than he had ever seen. Jasper wasn't even going to try to unravel the mess of desire and confusion that was the couple in the kitchen, let alone the mating bonds all over the place, and Kira's quiet agony that made itself known whenever he tried to use his power on her. It was like her own personal defense against him.

"Why is it that Jasper is allowed upstairs into your rooms, but the rest of us are not?" Edward asked, looking annoyed.

Kira leveled him with a look that would have any human shaking, "Because he is not entering our rooms, he's getting books. You aren't asking for books now are you?" Edward shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and Kira's mouth quirked into the tiniest of smiles as a malicious gleam lit her eyes. She opened her mouth, "M-"

"Kira Elizabeth Calleigh, you will behave yourself in my house." Victoria called, sensing Kira's intentions.

Kira sagged, "Yes mom." She huffed, "Spoil-sport."

Emmett laughed, his voice booming through the house, "Kira and Edward sitting in a tree!" He sing-songed. Kira's eyes lit up with glee and he shut up just before the girl tackled him through the still-open, front door. The Cullen children rushed to the door, watching in shock as Kira shoved Emmett's face into the mud.

"You're gonna regret that you giant ape!" She had another second of smushing his face in the mud before Emmett recovered. He flipped them around, and straddled Kira, laughing as she tried to wriggle out of his hold.

"Be careful Emmett!" Alice called, giggling moments before her vision came true. Kira brought her foot up and kicked the vampire in the midsection. It shouldn't have even budged him, but his face contorted in surprise as he went flying a fair distance for a human kick, but still reasonable, if he had been human. Kira lifted her head to watch Emmett crash into the grass before she let her head fall back and laughed.

All the vampires froze, they had never heard her laugh before, she hadn't even smiled in front of them. Her eyes and voice were so expressive that it was hard to remember sometimes that the girl didn't laugh, but it was never more apparent than now. It was such a gleeful, free noise, like the voice of a woman freed from her personal prison. All restraint gone, Kira rolled to her feet, laughing as she stumbled over to Emmett, "You," She struggled to contain her laughter, "You should have seen your face."

Emmett relaxed with a laugh of his own, and took her offered hand, "Yeah well I didn't expect you to kick me pipsqueak." He joked, standing to his full height of exactly as tall as Kira.

She bit her lip, finally stifling her giggles to the disappointment of all present and smacked him upside the head, "Pipsqueak my ass."

The Cullens watched in mixed amusement and awe as this woman dragged Emmett, the strongest of them, down into a noogie with seemingly no effort. Alice thought it was funny, but she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it as much as she knew she would have any other time. The absence of Isabella had her on edge in a way she understood, but hated regardless. There was no vision to guide her, but she felt that if she pushed too hard, her future with Isabella would disappear in an instant.

A tantalizing smell reached Alice's nose and she turned to see Isabella standing downwind under the shade of the trees. In the darkness it was harder to pick out the individual scars along her arms and cheeks, but two still stood out. The razor thin line along her left eyebrow that cut so close to Isabella's beautiful eye, and the thick weal around her right ankle that looked like a deep rope burn. They set Alice's teeth on edge knowing that someone had hurt her, had hurt her friend. It made her wonder if Kira and Victoria were responsible, but it was a stupid thought really, she loved them dearly.

The scars were beautiful and ugly, a reminder that Isabella had survived a great deal and still retained the ability to laugh and cry, she looked so young. Alice burned to touch her, to remind herself that Isabella was real. Before she'd considered the consequences, Alice had sped to Isabella's side, a cold hand on the girl's forearm. "Are you okay?" Alice asked softly.

Isabella looked down at the small vampire, inside she was still seething, but this vampire's touch soothed the burn. Maybe… Isabella caressed Alice's cheek, the action setting her at ease, she wanted to bury her fingers in Alice's hair and- Isabella removed her hand. "I've been better." She murmured, her palm burning hot without the soothing chill of Alice's skin. She clenched her fingers into a fist and willed away the need to do it again.

Alice bit her lip, and instead of doing what she wanted, tackling Isabella and holding her for the rest of eternity, she looked back to their playing siblings and leaned against Isabella's side. Contentment spread through the both of them at the contact, but both were also afraid of ruining it all with the wrong move, so they stood. Silently they watched the game of ultimate frisbee being organized before them. A low rumble began, surprising Alice until she realized what it was. With a smile, the pixie snuggled into Isabella's side to hear her purring better, basking in the warmth of the the younger girl's lanky arm wrapping around her waist.

Isabella couldn't help but feel conflicted. Standing with Alice so close made her feel whole for the first time since she shifted, it was amazing breathing without that heavy weight upon her chest holding her lungs tight and forcing her to fight for every minute. But she had lived with that weight for so long, it was strange breathing without it, liberating, but uncomfortable. It seems stupid to think of someone wanting the emptiness back, but it was so much safer, more familiar. Not even James had managed to reach her in that empty place, she could always retreat there, hide herself.

She was saved from her confusion by Victoria calling out, "Dinner's ready."

"I'll be back." Isabella mumbled, trying to extricate herself from Alice's grasp, only to find the vampire was walking with her. She frowned at the pixie, "You don't have to come."

"I know." Alice replied, beaming up at the confused shifter. Isabella's frown deepened. She gave a shrug that seemed to say 'suit yourself' and continued into the house with a little vampire wrapped around her waist. Kira didn't say anything when she came into the house to see Alice attached to her kitten, but Isabella could see her amusement, and felt the mental equivalent of being poked.

"Shut up." Isabella grumbled, glaring at Kira.

Victoria covered her mouth to hide her grin until she could push it away, "Be nice little one."

Isabella stuck her tongue out, "Whatever mom." Esme bristled a little at the girl's treatment, but before she could do anything, Victoria had already reached back to take the woman's hand. It was comforting, and settled her, but she was terribly embarrassed to need calming. The three shifters dug in while the other vampires filtered into the house.

"Are you ever going to explain why I can't hear any of you?" Edward asked, obviously addressing Kira, his reluctant mate.

Isabella tilted her head at him, looking between him and his mate with the slightest smile like she knew something he didn't. It frustrated Edward to no end, and it didn't help that Alice was simply daydreaming about this girl and filling his head with her nonsense. He didn't need her impossible, not to mention sinful, fantasies intruding upon his thought processes. "You say that like we would invite you to mind rape us."

Silence.

Emmett snickered, "She has a point."

"IT IS NOT RAPE." Edward stated so loudly, one might even consider it yelling. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much." Victoria thought to her sisters with amusement, finally understanding why they had put so much effort into their mental shields all day. The girls were all dancing with amusement inside their bond. His self-defense was so vehement, and so immediate, it was likely he'd had the thought before.

"So forcing yourself into my brain without permission, reading my most intimate thoughts and feelings, and then bringing them up in common conversation, that's not rape?" Kira said thoughtfully, happy to join in on anything that would get him to stop drooling over her, "You know, I think Captain Sparkles has a point. At least with rape, I mean he can still talk about it and stuff, but it's not as big an invasion. Like you can't screw a person so much that you can find out their thoughts about a person or subject."

Edward gaped at the woman who was supposed to defend him. "It's not rape, it's not even that bad, I mean it's not like I intend to do it. I can't control it."

Alice bit her lip, and Rose was watching with a smirk, though her eyes burned with anger and disgust. She enjoyed watching Edward get put in his place, but it was a slap in the face to realize that it really was like rape, and after all she'd been through, she had been letting it happen for nearly a century. "You mean like how the guys on the news can't control it?" Kira asked, her eyes shining with amusement.

Edward growled, "This is different. I am physically incapable."

"That may be true," Isabella smirked, "But now you're whining about it, because you expect to be able to accidentally mind rape everyone. So now that we can stop it, you're upset. Are you saying that you enjoy mind raping people?"

Edward gaped, and Esme cleared her throat, "I don't think he meant it that way in particular girls." She was deeply embarrassed for Edward's behavior, and more so for his lack of consideration. "Edward, I understand you are upset, but that is no reason to be so rude. Once Carlisle gets back from work, we'll all talk, and if the Calleigh's are comfortable, they will share with us about themselves."

Edward nodded, sitting down in the living room to gather his thoughts, while Kira and Isabella ate in relative silence. "He's still an asshole." Isabella informed her sister, glancing at Victoria to make sure she wasn't eavesdropping somehow.

Kira hummed her agreement, though it could have been her enjoyment of their steak salads. "Hell yeah. You should have seen him at school." Kira ran over their interactions after Isabella left.

Isabella snorted her steak, and started coughing, hard. "Oh my god, your feminine charms? He seriously said that? I was just kidding when I joked about his boner for you." Isabella looked down to see Alice watching her with concern, her cold hand rubbing soothing circles on the girl's spine. Isabella bit back a smile, and though she hated it, she removed Alice's hand and squeezed it gently, "I'm fine short-stack." She teased, "Things just went down the wrong pipe."

"Does that happen often?" Alice asked, frowning as she wondered if she would lose her, her friend over something so simple as choking on her food.

"Only when Kira does mean things while I'm eating." Isabella mock glared at her sister.

Kira stuck her tongue out, "Oh come off it, you enjoyed it just as much as I did little one."

Alice frowned, "But she didn't do anything?" She had been paying the utmost attention to Isabella, but maybe she'd missed something. Thankfully, Isabella quelled her worries before she got too caught up in her concerns. Isabella tapped her head and winked. Alice smiled, "I understand."

Emmett jumped up in surprise, "Holy shit you can read minds too?" He clapped his hands to his cheeks, "I'm in a house full of mind rapists!"

Isabella giggled, and Kira coughed into her hand. "No, no we communicate to each other via our bonds." Victoria explained, smiling herself, "To those with an open mind, we can project our thoughts just like speaking. We can also project feelings and images. Kira was probably sharing anecdotes over the table again." She leveled Kira with a stern look that the girl didn't seem to notice as she polished off her third helping.

"Whoa. Bellsy do me!" Emmett demanded, vibrating with excitement.

Isabella raised an eyebrow, "Seriously Emmett? Bellsy? You couldn't have come up with something more imaginative?" Emmett went wide eyed, "HOLY SHIT IT WORKS!"

Rose put her hand over Emmett's mouth, "Inside voice baby, inside voice." She looked over to the shifters, "So is the communication just a you thing, or can we talk back?"

Kira shook her head, "Only mates can talk back." Edward inhaled sharply, and immediately started trying to project his thoughts into Kira's mind.

Jasper winced at the pain that moved to the forefront of her mind, "I take it you know from personal experience?" He asked quietly. Kira nodded. "May I ask what happened?" He finally understood her pain, being separated from one's mate would be agonizing, Jasper wondered how long it had been that she was so comfortable with the pain.

"No." Isabella snapped sharply, her grip on Alice tightening, "You may not." Jasper put his hands up in surrender and backed away a step.

"Kitten, calm down." Victoria said softly, "There is no battle to pick here." Isabella ducked her head, her regret broadcasting to all those in the family bond, and Jasper as well. It was strange to see such a fierce girl back down so quickly from such a little admonition. Edward's head jerked up as he finally made the connection between the two women, with Isabella being the kitten that had Kira tied up in knots. He stared at her, trying to understand.

Alice stood up and the room went silent. Isabella held her tighter reflexively. The pixie smiled at her and kissed her head, "I'll be right back. I have to get the door for Carlisle." Isabella released her with a blush, realizing that despite her earlier decision to stay away from the pixie, she had gravitated closer.

Carlisle approached the deadly silent building with trepidation. He could hear three sets of heartbeats, and nine people breathing, but no one was moving or talking. It was one thing for Esme to text him telling him to be home from work on time, it was another entirely to find out they were invited to dinner with some new friends in town. The head of the coven walked at a human pace, taking his time to collect as much information as possible when the door opened in front of him. "Come on, we're all waiting." Alice waved him in, her smile brighter than he'd seen in years.

Carlisle walked into the house, and despite the awful walls and flooring, the furniture reminded him of home, his original home. He had spent his developing years surrounded by hand carved woods stained dark, and thick carpets to hide the rough flooring. One of the heartbeats drew near and he looked up to see a rather wild looking woman with a mess of red curly hair and the eyes of a wild creature. She looked comfortable surrounded by vampires, but he could tell by her posture that she was on guard. "Good evening." He smiled, "I am Carlisle Cullen. I see you have already met my family."

Victoria's mouth quirked up into a small smile, "Victoria Calleigh. Kit, Kira, come out and greet our guests properly. We need to make a good impression." Two more young women walked in, but Carlisle only noticed the first one to step out. Alice latched onto her arm immediately, which caught his attention, but her terrible scars held it.

He hissed quietly, "You abuse her?" He glared at Victoria, his fists clenched. He knew those scars, he and his sister had borne similar ones back when he was human. The scar above her eye in particular reminded him of a night when his father had pulled out a knife and threatened to skin his sister for an indiscretion.

Kira snarled, "Of course not." His attention shifted to the regal woman, taller than the other two, with a powerful presence that would have intimidated him were he any younger. "She is mine." She snapped, thinking that Carlisle intended on taking Isabella from him.

Alice stiffened, her eyes turning a shade darker as she looked at the new threat. Kira's behavior with Isabella had been sisterly, perhaps motherly at times, but she had never considered that the two were a couple, despite the fact that Emmett and Rose occasionally posed as siblings. Isabella let out a growl of her own, "Enough." The word caused Kira to stiffen, but not back down. "He was concerned. You really think any of them would try to take me Kira? Calm down." She grabbed her sister's shoulder, and tugged her back.

Carlisle watched the two girls make eye contact as some intense communication was obviously going on. He looked to Edward automatically, desiring his guidance. "I have none." Edward replied glumly, "They choose to block my powers." Choose. Carlisle mused upon that word. He wondered how they had the power to block out Edward's gift by choice.

"They block mine too, sometimes." Alice said softly, drawing all attention to her. "I had a few visions, but they always cut out, or looked strange, like something was missing." Isabella looked to her curiously, "Visions?" She didn't mean to speak directly to Alice's mind, but it felt as natural as breathing to her.

Alice smiled, "I'll tell you later." Isabella heard the words in her mind and stiffened. Alice's smile faded away immediately and she realized she had screwed up. Alice bit her lip and took a few steps away, hugging herself as she left the warmth and safety of Isabella's arms. Her theory was proven, but at what cost?

Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens watched curiously, except Edward who was frowning in concentration again, trying to reach Kira's mind, either through his own powers, or their mating bond. He couldn't help but think she was blocking their mating bond as well, her previous mate must have been a delusional relationship, or perhaps a secondary choice in case they never met. Her demeanor suited his perfectly when she wasn't being crass. He could see in her eyes that his Kira was a natural born leader, just like him.

Carlisle looked to Victoria, relaxing his posture as much as he could. He felt on edge, like he was surrounded by predators, the kind that could actually arm him. It reminded him very much of the La Push wolves, except in this case, they didn't smell bad, only repellant. Much as flowers smell, nice but not food. Victoria smirked, "It's always a tense day with vampires, don't worry."

"Who told you?" He couldn't let such an infraction against the treaty go unpunished. If the Wolf pack found out, it would be a massacre, and he did not want those lives on his hands.

Victoria tapped her nose, "You did. Vampires all smell the same," She glanced towards Esme, "Mostly. It's another one of the perks."

"Perks of what?"

Isabella raised an eyebrow at Victoria, "Oh tell them already Tori, they already know something is off."

Kira lit up with glee, "Can I show them? Shovel face needs to take a hint, and I want to give it to him." Victoria pinched her nose to hold back her consternation, and waved, "Go ahead Kira."

"Edward." Kira purred, earning the victorian boy's attention immediately, "I need your help with a little demonstration." Edward stood up, wide eyed, all his focus on Kira, searching for some indication of what it would be.

Emmett winked at Rosalie, recognizing that look from Kira's last stunt, "This is gonna be good." He whispered. Victoria gestured for everyone to follow the girl as she placed a hand on Edward's chest, and guided him out of the house backwards.

Edward's stumbling all over the place was a testament to the woman's effect on the vampire, he was so overcome that he didn't even notice when they started moving into the woods out of sight of their distant neighbors. "You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot." Kira informed Edward, her eyes intense as they captured his.

He was spellbound, barely able to stutter out hopefully, "Y-you do?"

"Mmmn," She nodded, "You see, I think you got the idea that I entertain even the slightest amount of regard for you. You have been forcing your presence, and your gift on me ever since we met, just because you're a gay little virgin, and this is the first time you've ever felt," She paused, looking him up and down, "Lusts of the flesh."

Edward shuddered as the words rolled off her tongue, his body betraying him even as his mind protested, "N-no, we're mates, I know we are, I've never felt this way about anyone." The insults she served him flew right over his head.

Kira's eyes flashed, "Let me tell you about mates Edward. Among my kind, we are free with our bodies, seductors of the highest degree, comparable to succubi. It's only natural. When we mate, we mate for life, we never leave their side, and the idea of causing them pain for anything other than the heightening of their pleasure," She licked her lips, "Is unthinkable. We die with our mates no matter what their species. Human, vampire, shifter, whatever."

"Th-then it's good that I'll never d-die?" Edward was losing confidence in his assumption that she was the one for him. Something in the way she carried herself gave him the idea that she was only seconds away from injuring him permanently.

"It would be, had my mate not died in my arms Edward." Kira replied. Jasper hunched over at the depth of her pain, clutching his middle as he fought the urge to siphon it off on others. He wanted to leave but he needed to know what they were dealing with first. Kira shifted, her body elongating even further as stripes drew themselves along her bare skin. Her shirt ripped to shreds, and Edward felt himself falling back as her palms grew larger, heavier, and her nails curved into wicked claws the length of his long fingers. "You insult his memory with your arrogance Edward Cullen." Kira growled, the sound low and menacing as she projected her voice into the minds of everyone there, "I will not be so lenient the next time you make such assumptions." Those words were for him alone, not even Isabella nor Tori felt those words, or the images of her clawing his chest open and ripping out his dead heart. Edward was grateful for that. Her heavy paws on his chest seemed to gain weight with her threats.

Jasper nodded to his siblings and ran just as soon as one of them acknowledged him. His departure broke the somber mood. "Ahem," Carlisle flinched as all eyes turned to him, including that of a twelve foot long Siberian tiger. "Do you all shift into tigers?"

"No." Victoria replied calmly, "We don't stay in packs, cats are solitary creatures by design. We're probably the largest group of cat shifters you'll ever find outside Lions. Lions are a rare exception to the rule, but they stick to home territory. Most of us visit our natural habitats, but after that, we tend to roam. It's more interesting that way."

Esme tilted her head, "What do you all shift into, if it's not too personal."

"Jaguar." Victoria said softly.

Isabella ducked her head, "I'd rather not say." Alice bit her lip, forcing herself to keep a distance from Isabella.

Kira scooped the girl into her arms, giving her the tight hug that Alice desperately wanted to administer, "She's our little kitten, isn't that right?" She teased. Isabella gave her a small smile, and instead of shoving the older girl away, she snuggled into the embrace. Alice smiled softly, realizing that Kira wasn't competition, but someone important. It was difficult, reigning in all the different emotions raging through her head, all she wanted was to hold Isabella, and protect her.

Victoria smiled, wrapping her arm around Esme's waist, "So what do you say? You still feel up to renovating the old place? I know the inhabitants are crazy, but we're tons of fun to play with."

Rose frowned, "Wait. What about the mutts in La Push? Won't they have something to say about this? Technically you are breaking the treaty."

Isabella stiffened in Kira's arms and hissed, "We have nothing to do with those animals."

Eyes widened all around the room, and Carlisle frowned in confusion, "Animals? Aren't you all cousins, or sister species?"

Victoria chuckled, "We are similar in our mating habits, and our healing, strength etcetera, but that relation does not come with steady bonds. The mutts at La Push are examples of some of the worst of their kind. I truly pity you for making a deal with them. They are territorial, and judging from the smell, they've made some kind of blood pact. It taints them, makes them smell awful even to their own kind."

Victoria quirked her head, "I don't doubt it was vampires they made the pact against. They're bigger than other dogs I've seen. They most likely agreed to isolate themselves to gain greater strength against their hated enemies. However, as Kira found out, they haven't been taught about their ancestry, or the dangers of such animosity."

"You know quite a bit about them considering you've only been here a few days." Carlisle replied, an accusation implicit in his calm remark.

"My knowledge is rather collective. I get around quite a bit, and I talk to some knowledgeable people. South America had more insights than I had expected." Victoria didn't take any offense from his inquiries, she doubted his was anything more than a child really. "I befriended a coven of vampires there whose experience rivals my own, and so we bonded over killing the poachers and warlords who wandered into our territory. It was quite thrilling really, hunting with vampires." She chanced a glance to Esme who honestly didn't know what to think.

Carlisle nodded, his brow furrowed in confusion, "It seems that I have walked into quite the confusion, haven't I?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So there is a little bit of a time skip here. This is the day after dinner with the Cullens. I figured anything else that occurred there wasn't really that necessary. I am also going to spend a lot more focus on Bella and Alice now that the other characters and relationships are started, however the other shifters are still a vital part of Bella's life and as such will be very much a part of the story still.**

* * *

"But how do you know who your mate is?" Bella asked, clinging to Kira's arm.

Kira smiled and pet her hair, "You know. You want to be with them, to protect and care for them. You want to be there for every important moment so you can support your second half. And then one day you finally admit your love to them, and it's like everything feels right again, you're whole." She sighed, hugging Bella close, "It's an amazing experience Bella, you'll find your mate someday. I promise."

Bella nodded, watching her sister sag under her memories. "Kira... where is your mate?"

"He died kitten. I held him in my arms as he bled out, and with his last breath he asked me to live. I-I can't explain what it is to make a promise to your mate, but it is everlasting." Kira ran her fingers through Bella's hair, trying to calm the trembling girl. "I don't regret it, but I do miss him."

Bella nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. Kira waited, knowing that her little kitten would speak her mind soon enough. "Can you have two mates?"

Kira shook her head, "I don't know. But If I find one, I promise to tell you."

Isabella sighed, wishing that she could simply turn back time and return to the simpler days, she didn't miss the lessons on how to use a fork properly, but these… Complicated feelings were overwhelming to say the least. She wanted to spend time with Alice, but she also wanted to kill her vampiric family. She wanted to please the girl and make it known to all the world that she belonged to Alice Cullen but… She shivered just thinking about it, that felt too much like how things used to be.

She looked up from her place on the couch, watching Tori clean, her more OCD tendencies requiring her to keep the house immaculate even when they were painting and moving. Tori was ancient, and alone, but she wasn't lonely was she? "Victoria," The elder woman hummed her acknowledgement, "Do you ever get lonely, without a mate?"

The shifter gave a thoughtful huff, and continued her actions for a few minutes while Isabella squirmed, the kitten didn't feel quite right questioning either of her surrogate mothers. "No, but I am a different creature. I loathed the people in my home, and things haven't changed much. Even among vampires and shape-shifters I am old, and with that age comes perspective. To you, time has meaning and relevance, it changes and people seem to be constantly changing their minds around you. I see only the constance of human nature."

"Kira?" Isabella asked, looking to the woman that had patiently helped her to regain all those human attributes that she had forgone, or forgotten. Kira was curled around a book, but the pages hadn't moved in a long time. Isabella asked again, out loud this time, "Kira?" No answer. Isabella hugged her knees on her chest and went quiet again, maybe they could speak at school.

The phone rang in the silence of the new morning air, its volume piercing their delicate ears. Victoria raced to the offensive machine and picked up the handheld with a look of pure rage in her eyes, barely contained beneath the surface. "What?" She snapped. A moment passed and she stood up straighter, "My apologies." She glanced at Isabella and the girl felt a twinge of fear at the pity in the woman's eyes, "Yes of course, I will have a- no, there is no need for that, I'm sure it was… Of course. She'll be there." Victoria hung up the phone, "Isabella, grab your things, you have a meeting with the principal."

Isabella tried to sink into the seat of the truck, wishing in her heart that she had never had this stupid idea about school. Education is for sissies. She would just roam the woods for an eternity… She glanced up to Tori to see if the woman would buy it, but the apathy in the woman's relaxed frame told her she would not. They parked right next to the office in the barren lot, and Tori got out of the car. Isabella latched herself to the woman's side, "You're coming in with me right?"

Tori stroked Isabella's head, "Of course kitten, I'll be right there next to you the whole time." She led the girl into the office, "Victoria Calleigh, my daughter and I have a meeting with your vice principal?"

The woman at the desk nodded, going through all her papers to find the note related to their visit. Victoria let out a low growl, unamused by being made to wait for this woman to find a stickynote. The Secretary's head popped up, her eyes wide with the fear of a prey animal. Her desk was a mess that already made the redhead want to throw her out the window, but to add insult to injury and make it worse by rifling through everything, it set the older woman's teeth on edge. "Y-you can go right on through." The secretary stammered, finally finding the note stuck to her left elbow.

Victoria bit back a sneer, she didn't want the woman to have a heart attack right there and be forced to clean up any of the woman's messes. "Thanks." She rested a hand on Isabella's lower back and guided the trembling girl into the office. "I'm right here kit." Isabella didn't reply but they could both feel her barely contained panic, and while Victoria was hopeful that it would be a growing experiment, the whole thing put the elder on edge. Isabella wasn't even her kitten technically speaking, and yet here she was doing Kira's job, training the poor kit.

The vice principal stood up when they entered, his eyes taking note of their body language, Victoria's tense posture, her possessive hand on Isabella, even the fear in Isabella's eyes. All in all, it was a concerning picture. "Thank you both for coming in." He gave a sort of grimace. It was a look Isabella was familiar with. James often adopted that expression when something wasn't going his way, and he was about to do something unpleasant. It only served to make her tense up even worse than before. He pursed his lips and gestured, "Please sit down." They all sat in a tense silence before the vice let out a long breath. "I would like to talk to you about Isabella's absence during her last two periods yesterday. I understand you have been homeschooled, and are used to a more fluid schedule, but I'm afraid you cannot simply leave after lunch Isabella." He leveled her with what he thought was a gentle, fatherly sort of stern look but she paled.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't ever happen again." She said quietly, head down, heart pounding in fear that she had ruined everything.

"Now listen here," Victoria set her hand on Bella's chair and leaned forward, her body screaming of coiled aggression, "Isabella left school, and she will be disciplined for that, but you don't get to call her in here before school and-" Tori please stop. Isabella pleaded desperately. Victoria flashed the girl a quick glare which was not lost on the vice principal. "And scold my daughter. I called her out of school because that is what was needed. I'm sorry I didn't warn your administration first, but she is my daughter first, and your student second."

The vice nodded, keeping his head very well despite Victoria's naturally wild and terrifying aura. "Thank you so much for clearing that up, can I ask you to go sign some papers with my secretary so that we have that on record?" The redhead nodded, trying to restrain her dislike of the secretary. She patted Bella's shoulder on her way out, and the teen tensed, her posture too much like that of an abused child for the Vice's comfort.

"Isabella," He started, his voice heavy with concern. Isabella flinched. He folded his hands in front of him, "I'm concerned about your home conditions." The scars all over the girl's arms and her timid behavior, it worried him deeply. "Does your mother abuse you?"

"No sir." She mumbled, eyes on the desk. She was trembling with the stress of her situation, she just wanted to collapse and cry herself to sleep. "Isabella are you okay?" Tori whispered into her mind, worried about the mountain of anxiety weighing down on Isabella's mind.

"Are you ever afraid of her? Or someone else in your home?" He urged. "I'm okay I promise."

"No sir. I promise I won't ever skip school again sir."

He gave a soft sigh that was like thunder to her sensitive ears. "Isabella, you are not in trouble, and coming here doesn't mean that you are in trouble. If you ever need to talk, my door is open, the school counsellor is always available. Her office is right across the hallway. Please just, if you want to talk, come in and talk to us."

Isabella nodded, "Yes sir, of course I will sir." She mumbled, getting up and moving to stand behind her chair quickly, "May I go now sir? I don't want to be late to class."

The vice stood up and nodded, gesturing at the door, "Of course. Have a good day Isabella."

"Thank you sir." She grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the room as fast as humanly possible. She caught Tori in a whirlwind of a hug, "Gotta run for class." She called before she was out the door. Isabella ran through the empty halls, and swung into her first classroom just before the second bell rang.

"Kitten are you okay? You're shaking." Isabella nodded, remaining closed off from her sister lest she lose focus on the teacher. She couldn't let herself fail again, what had she been thinking? That kind of stupidity would get her whole family in trouble, Tori had been so annoyed with her, and Kira was distracted from her studies too now. It wasn't fair for Isabella to burden them with her ridiculous worries. It was all her fault in the first place, and she should be the one to burn for it.

Isabella took very careful notes throughout class, and keeping focused was so trivial that she couldn't believe she had struggled so much the day before. In fact she berated herself for it all the way to her second class, reminding herself of what Kira had taught her. Be observant, watch everyone to see what you should be doing. Obey the rules with care, never draw attention to yourself. Be patient and quiet. All of them had been disregarded and she deserved a far worse punishment for her mistakes.

She started with sitting as far as physically possible from Alice, it served the purpose of making her extremely uncomfortable, and gave her a smidgen of a chance to pay attention. She kept her head down throughout the entire hour, ignoring the burning need to so much as look at Alice. Pages of notes later, and the bell rang again. Isabella's nostrils flared as the scent of vampire filled them. In that moment she spotted Isaac and Jeffrey, "Hey guys! Wait up!" She ran to catch up with them, and threw her arms around their shoulders, ignoring the pheromones they were putting off. It was strange to think of them that way so she put it aside, and focused on leaving Alice far behind.

"Hey Isabella! Long time no see!" Jeffrey grinned, far more calm about her presence than his younger brother. "I didn't see you around yesterday."

She ducked her head, reminded of her failure yet again, "Yeah I know, it was a little stressful, and Kira wanted to sit with some people she saw, so I just kinda followed her. Sorry I didn't sit with you guys."

"It's no big." Jeffrey mussed her hair, and led her into the cafeteria, the overwhelming smell of humans slowly masking the scent of Alice following them from a short distance.

"Thank you." Isabella said meekly, following the boys to their table. She listened to them talk about their classes, adding the appropriate nods and smiles, but otherwise remaining passive. It was a little strange to the boys, but they took it in stride, knowing she was worried about school. Kira didn't even try to join her at the table, and stopped Alice from doing the same, pulling her to the Cullen table with no small effort. The pixie resisted, wanting desperately to help Isabella with whatever was bothering her.

Alice even tried prodding at Isabella's mind, "Isabella? Are you okay? What's going on?" Her mate wouldn't respond, throwing herself even more firmly into her conversation with the two Swan boys, and it wasn't until Rosalie grabbed her shoulder that she stopped.

"Give her space Alice. Whatever has her freaked is not something you can pester out of her right now. No one has that many scars on the outside, and is perfectly fine on the inside." Rose murmured too soft for anyone else to hear. It was a sobering thought to Alice that they weren't simply reminders of scores she needed to settle, but lasting injuries to her mate.

"I wonder if they still hurt." She murmured.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh Kitten, what am I going to do with you? Kira thought to herself, watching her Isabella slowly implode. It was one thing to see her innocent girl stumble through social situations, but this was self-sabotage at its worse. Ever since her little talk with the principle, Isabella had shut down completely, more so than the early days with her Kit back when Isabella was convinced she was doing everything wrong.

Tori had seen it too, even at home their kitten was nearly silent. " _I was sure we had gotten through this years ago."_ Kira informed Victoria. Both of them were struggling with the bits of guilt and anxiety leaking from the kitten, and worrying about it only intensified the feeling, subduing the whole family. " _She was never this bad about it, a few days maybe, but she would never shut herself off from me. I…"_ Her thoughts faltered as she realized that she was not the confidant that Isabella needed. Despite always wanting her kitten to be independent, it hurt Kira more than she expected to know Isabella didn't want her help.

"Get out of the house Kira." Victoria murmured, "No need for both of us to suffer the silence. I'll keep a close eye on the kitten." Kira nodded and was out the door in the blink of an eye, overwhelmed by her thoughts. Victoria considered for one selfish moment the possibility of calling Esme and burying herself in work with a beautiful woman, but she shook off the thought and headed up stairs to discuss things with her kitten.

Isabella was hunched over her desk as she had been for three days now, carefully writing out her homework answers in neat script. She didn't react when Victoria entered the room, but she jumped when long fingers ran through her hair. Isabella waited for her to say something, waited for a reprimand, a punishment, anything. After long minutes of waiting, she began filling out her homework again, soothed a little by the gentle touch and the scent of her friend. It did nothing to ease her guilt but it reminded her of what she was missing.

* * *

" _Isabella, you need to talk to someone."_ Alice informed the shifter, not even sure if the message was getting through. She had barely spoken with anyone during the week and Alice was done waiting. She had allowed herself to be ripped apart by the distance for long enough and now watching Isabella brush her off again via vision it was too much.

As soon as Isabella got out of the changing room at the end of school, Alice hooked their arms together. "We need to talk Isabella." The shifter frowned but let Alice lead her out to the school parking lot. It was the closest she'd been to Alice in a week and she was tired of fighting the pull to be close to her pixie, she was tired of shutting out Kira and Tori, tired of fighting off the questions and the worry. Isabella had no other adjective for her current state other than exhausted. With the pixie's direction, Isabella allowed herself to be drawn off into the woods behind the school, and far from the scent of humans.

All too soon they stopped in a small clearing where the scent of pine was overwhelmed by the smell of Alice's honey and vanilla, leading Isabella to embrace to smaller girl and nuzzle into her neck with a hum. "Is-Isabella are you okay?" Alice squeaked, trying to think through the warm haze clouding her mind. She knew this wasn't normal, or okay, and she worried that if she let herself enjoy it for even a second, that she would forget the reason she had come in the first place. She pushed back gently, and Isabella released her, sitting down promptly. "Isabella?" She asked, crouching in front of the shifter.

Isabella tried to push to her feet, but even without Alice's hands on her shoulders, she would have fallen right back down. She hadn't slept in more than fifteen minute stints in days. Nightmares haunted her sleeping and waking moments, and it was everything she could do to control herself in public. So now, without anyone to care if she broke her facade, Isabella fell back against a pine and relaxed her control, her arms trembling violently. "Isabella, are you okay?" Alice exclaimed, unsure what to do about this, she couldn't think, panicking at the sight of Isabella so weak. Her mate, trembling on the ground and so torn up about it that she couldn't move. "Isabella what do I do?"

She shook her head, waving Alice off, "Have to… To let off steam." Alice backed up in concern, watching with her hands clasped by her chest. Isabella waited until there was enough space between them, and immediately she shifted into a massive golden puma. Alice stared in awe as the great beast stretched, and she heard the voice of pure exhaustion in her mind, " _Come with me? Kira would kill me if I went alone."_

Alice bit her lip, nodding, "Sure. Uhm… Where are we going?" She couldn't see anything to do with Isabella, and she couldn't help but worry that the girl had collapsed just minutes ago, even supernaturals had their limits, and she didn't know why, but Isabella was nearing hers.

" _Hunting. I haven't actually eaten in a few days.. Or a week. I don't actually know."_ The great cat nuzzled into Alice's side, more affectionate than the vampire had ever seen. Isabella licked Alice's palm and walked past the confused girl. " _You wanted to talk?"_

Alice blinked, jogging to catch up to the great cat, Isabella was so much calmer, more composed in this state, even while exhausted. It was a confusing mixture and it only brought up more questions. "What's been going on with you Isabella? I feel like you've swapped personalities, and I don't know how to feel about this. You've shut me out completely, and I know I haven't earned any rights, but we are mates, and that should garner me at least some answers."

The golden beast stumbled over her own massive paws, catching herself before she smashed her face in the mud. " _I screwed up. It's all I deserve. No one else is going to punish me, and no one else is going to make this right Alice. I-I have to atone."_

"By cutting yourself off from everything?" She snapped, worry and confusion mixing in her head, giving her a far worse headache than any vision ever had. "Isabella that's not repentance, that's self-destruction." She waited for a reaction but her mate had gone still, "Are you listening?"

Isabella didn't respond, creeping forward slowly. Alice became a statue, watching Isabella move with complete confidence and a natural grace that could rival Kira's own. The puma crept to the edge of the cliff and with a quick whip of her tail launched herself into a herd of deer. Alice watched as the girl threw herself from animal to animal, killing each one with a single swipe of her massive paws until half a dozen of them had fallen to the ground with snapped necks. " _Did you want any? I don't require the blood, I uh, I probably should have asked if you wanted some beforehand. Does it being dead bother you? I don't actually know all that much about vampires, other than the whole blood sucking thing, and even that's a fluke."_

Alice hopped down to join Isabella, standing a little bit away while she ate, so that neither of them felt their space was being invaded. "It doesn't, but I'm not hungry." She sighed, realizing that Isabella had heard nothing she said, "Usually we hunt alone, it's uh, it's a territorial thing, and an animal thing. Most of us don't like how we act when we're hunting, we give ourselves over to our instincts so wholly that it's a process to return to civilization, the transition isn't the easiest."

The great cat let out a huffing sound, that Alice had the sneaking suspicion was laughter, "Trust me Alice, that I understand. I spent nearly forty years in this shape, trapped in my own body, I know how that transition goes."

"You…" Alice blinked, "You what?"

Isabella trotted to the nearby stream and washed her face clean before shifting back to her human form, having eaten a surprisingly large portion of all six deer. "Kira isn't actually related to me Alice. She found me. She… Yeah." Isabella trailed off, seeing Alice's eyes on her body. The horror in the vampire's eyes would have been enough to stop anyone in their tracks. Knowing that Alice would want to see more she turned full circle for her mate allowing Alice to see the tracks of all James' work, the remains of his training.

"What happened?" Alice whispered, somehow even Jasper's scars didn't seem so vicious as all of this, this tarnishing of Isabella's pale skin.

Their eyes met, and the haunted look in Isabella's eyes were enough to tell some of the story, "History. Kira found me, taught me what it is to be human again, she gave me something to hold on to, something to fill the emptiness."

"Emptiness?" Alice frowned.

The briefest hint of a smile crossed the shifter's face and she neared Alice slowly, "I imagine the mutts never told you, but when we shift for the first time, it's a trade. We trade our happiness, the whole of our being and the contentment that naturally resides in our heart for a soulmate who may never come, and the power of our new form. I have been empty for my entire life Alice." She lifted the frozen vampire's chin, looking her in the eyes with nothing to mask the years of pain. "It's why we shake with anger, and we struggle with control, because the best part of us is missing, and we may never find it. Turns out the best part of me is a vampire, and a woman, and everything that I know tells me that it's wrong, and the emptiness that I used to escape my pain is gone and all I'm left with is you Alice... What in the name of god am I supposed to do with you?"

Silence. They stared into one another's eyes for who knows how long, both searching for answers neither one really sure they would ever find. "I don't know." Alice admitted softly. "But maybe this time instead of shutting me out, we can figure it out together?" She wasn't sure what she could do for her mate, so much pain spread over so many years was a hard thing for anyone to deal with.

Isabella let out a long breath and nodded, lifting Alice into her arms with a soft sigh, and began running home. "Wh-" Alice began to ask, but she was met with a vision of her being wrapped in her mate's arms as Isabella slept soundly. Isabella frowned at Alice, trotting through the woods, "You okay?"

"Yeah." The pixie snuggled closer the Isabella's warm chest, melting into the sweet scent of her mate as she was carried back to Isabella's home. Not a word was said, but Kira and Victoria both turned to look, watching Alice snuggle deeper into Isabella's arms and the quiet girl carry her mate up to her bedroom. Isabella was asleep in moments, her whole body relaxed into the embrace of her mate while Alice listened to the quiet murmur of the shifters downstairs, talking about their worries.

"She's finally asleep, thank god." Kira sighed.

"I didn't realize it would hurt her so bad, I still don't know what set her off exactly." Tori admitted, "I'm so sorry Kira."

"No, the kit can fight her own battles and she can win this, she can, I just hope that she accepts Alice soon, this denial is going to kill her long before any normal means."

"And how would you know about denying a mate, oh great tiger?" Tori laughed, and there was a thump like she threw herself on the couch. "Aren't you the one who embraced him with everything the moment you saw him, never broke a promise or something like that?"

"Heh," Kira chuckled, "It wasn't quite so easy, I put him through more tests of patience than any man deserved, I denied him from day one. I didn't want to have some fate driven piece of shit banker from Boston telling me that he's the one for me, I pushed back so hard I got sick from fighting my own needs. He visited me every day in that stupid hospital while doctors made up all kinds of reasons why my metabolism was the reason that I was sick." Tori scoffed, and Alice bit her lip, focusing her ears on Isabella's heartbeat. She had intruded too much already on Kira and Victoria's hospitality.


	10. Chapter 10

"What am I going to do with you Bella?" Alice murmured, stroking her mate's hair back, she could feel the urge to claim her in the back of her mind, the natural attraction to Bella, but none of it would matter if Bella was pushing back so hard as to get her sick. How could someone so young, be so very damaged inside and out. Isabella hugged her tighter in her sleep, her face nuzzled into Alice's chest, it was sweet and cute in a way that had Alice's heart melting. "My sweet Bella." She kissed her mate's forehead, wondering when she could finally kiss her mate while she was both awake, and not torturing herself.

A few hours of sleep passed peacefully before Isabella began to mumble and twitch. She held Alice tighter, mumbling nonsense about trapeze and popcorn, her skin began to ripple with waves of fur, like she was shifting in her sleep. "Bella?" Alice couldn't see anything that could help her, "Bella you need to wake up, it's just a nightmare." She moved in Bella's arms, and immediately the shifter clamped down, holding her tight as she began to flinch and moan in what was obviously pain.

Being witness to her mate's pain was more than Alice could handle. "Bella, Bella please wake up." She whimpered, torn between slapping the girl to wake her, and waiting it out. Alice's body was beginning to creak beneath the pressure of Bella's arms, and she wasn't sure she could wiggle out now without hurting her mate. She bit her lip and went with what she felt would work. "Bells, get up now." She snapped in the most commanding voice she could muster.

Isabella froze in place and her eyes snapped open to the inhuman butter yellow of her other shape. Her skin rippled before Alice's eyes, swapping from flesh to fur and back again as she stared at her mate with unfathomable pain in her gaze. Alice caressed her cheek, ignoring the disturbing sensation of the changing substance beneath her fingertips, "Wake up Isabella, you're safe. I'm right here."

The shifter stared, seemingly unchanged, but Alice could hear the fractional slowing of her heart rate as she calmed, and the nearly imperceptible relaxing of her muscles. It wasn't until Isabella removed her heavy claws from Alice's waist that she allowed herself to exhale. "There you are." She continued caressing Isabella's cheek until her skin became normal again, settling into the pale, warm flesh that Alice craved. When Isabella finally relaxed, Alice pulled her hand back, "Sorry for waking you, but you were in pain."

Isabella bit her lip, "Thanks." She kissed Alice's forehead, "I.." She ducked her head, seeing the marks her nails had left, "Oh god, did I do that? Alice I'm so sorry! Damn it I'm such an idiot, I never should have trapped you like that." She continued babbling, pulling away from Alice entirely, sitting up and curling in on herself.

Alice frowned and grabbed Isabella's shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug, "Bella, is this what it's like in your head all the time?" She asked softly, "You don't have to feel guilty over a couple of scratches, I'll heal... Not like you, I barely even feel pain, let alone this."

Bella shook her head and got up, stretching out to her full height, her fingertips touching the ceiling, and then bent in half, touching her toes with ease. It made Alice aware of the effect she had upon others when she made the same motions. The girl's face was twisted with shame and guilt, forcing her to deny her own instincts, and that's when Alice decided enough was enough. "Isabella sit down." Alice ordered, trusting it would work on her mate no matter whether she was awake or not. To her surprise, it did.

Isabella sat back on the bed, curled in on herself ever so slightly to avoid the coming smack, but it didn't. Alice caressed the girl's arm, ignoring her flinch. "I've been waiting on you for nearly ninety years, and you have been waiting almost as long. I think it's time that you and I get to talk about it, okay?"

The shifter bit her lip and nodded, leaning into Alice's tiny palm, "Okay." She murmured, "What do you want to talk about?"

Alice cupped Isabella's cheek with her free hand, "Why are you trying to run away from me?" Her soft words ripped into Isabella's heart, reminding the shifter that she was not the only one in pain.

"I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to hurt you, I just, I'm…" She hugged herself, "I'm scared." Bella admitted quietly, glancing up at her mate only to see understanding and love. She bit her lip, waiting for some kind of verbal response, after a few minutes Bella felt like she needed to explain. "I've only ever been dependant on two other people in my life, Kira and J-J-James. He.. He…" A shiver ran down her spine and though she tried desperately to continue, she couldn't find the words to describe his treatment, or their relationship.

Bella rubbed her arms, feeling the smooth bumps of each scar as she passed over it. She would have become lost in the sensation if Alice hadn't taken her hands and squeezed them gently in her cold palms. "He's the one that beat you isn't he?" She asked, wishing desperately to remove the lost and broken expression from Bella's face. It hurt beyond reason to know that her soulmate had been so destroyed by anything. What was the point of being powerful, nigh immortal beings if they couldn't even protect their own mates from the ravages of base savagery?

The shifter opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't even express to herself what she believed James to be, he was both father and abuser, the man who raised her… And broke her. He was the point around which her empty life had revolved, and since Kira had taken her, he was the source of her nightmares. As much as she wanted to hate him, James taught her how to be polite, to do as she was told, he taught her the manners she needed to become human again, and he gave her boundaries. She was nothing more than an unruly child throwing a tantrum and trying to prove she was better than everyone else when she was captured, and James taught her humility. Bella could no more hate him than she could love him and that knowledge left her incapable of describing him to anyone.

Alice pulled Bella close, hugging her tightly, unaware that a small part of Bella missed James. Despite the pain and the fear, she missed always knowing what was going to happen. Alice ran her fingers through Bella's hair, soothing the girl's troubles away if only for a little while. It wasn't nearly good enough, but it would have to do until she knew what exactly was haunting her Bella's dreams. She only wished that…

 _Darkness. True darkness as if all the world had lost its light. Cords wrapped around her arms like the chains of death dragging her away from the ground beneath her feet until all she could feel was the cords. A scream reached her ears, far closer than she expected. "Bella! Bella can you hear me? Bella I'm right here!" She shouted, struggling against the cords to no avail, she couldn't break free. All she could hear was the sound of Bella pleading for the pain to stop, seemingly unable to hear Alice calling her name. The last thing Alice heard was the crack of a whip._

Alice came to with a start, her eyes aching with tears she couldn't shed, and her cheeks on fire from the heat of Bella's hands. "Alice!" Bella yanked her into a hug that would have crushed any lesser being. Alice didn't even care that her whole frame creaked with the force, she clung to her soulmate with every ounce of her being. Whatever decision had led to that terrible vision, she would fix it, she would stop it from happening somehow. She wouldn't ever let her Isabella be in pain like that, never.


End file.
